Preservation Letter

---
name: preservation-letter
description: Drafts litigation hold and document preservation letters under FRCP 37(e) and state equivalents. Covers custodian identification, ESI scope, hold implementation, and spoliation warnings. Use when sending preservation notices, litigation hold letters, spoliation notices, or evidence preservation demands.
---

# Preservation Letter

Drafts a formal preservation notice establishing the opposing party's duty to preserve evidence, tailored to the matter's custodians, data sources, and time period.

## Prerequisites

Gather before drafting:

1. **Case identification** — parties, caption/docket (if filed), or anticipated claims
2. **Key facts** — relevant dates, transactions, events establishing the dispute
3. **Known custodians** — individuals likely possessing relevant information
4. **Data sources** — IT systems, communication platforms, cloud services, retention policies
5. **Temporal scope** — preservation start date through present

## Quick Start

Format as formal business correspondence: letterhead, date, recipient block (name/title/org/address), re-line with matter description.

## Required Sections

| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| **Opening Notice** | Counsel, client, dispute nature. If filed: caption, court, docket. If pre-suit: state client reasonably anticipates litigation. Cite FRCP 37(e) or state equivalent. |
| **Matter Description** | Factual context sufficient for recipient to identify custodians and sources. Do not disclose litigation strategy. |
| **Preservation Scope** | Categorized instructions per scope table below |
| **Implementation Instructions** | Litigation hold procedures per checklist below |
| **Spoliation Consequences** | Legal consequences of non-compliance |
| **Response Requirements** | Written acknowledgment deadline (5–10 business days), hold confirmation, contact info |
| **Closing** | Formal closing, signature block with bar admissions |

## Preservation Scope Categories

Include only categories applicable to the dispute:

| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| **Paper** | Contracts, memoranda, notes, financials, invoices, drafts |
| **Electronic comms** | Email, texts, IMs, social media, voicemails — all platforms/devices including personal if used for business |
| **ESI** | Documents, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, calendars — native format with metadata intact |
| **Cloud/storage** | Cloud services, shared drives, backups, archived data, servers, mobile devices |
| **Physical** | Products, equipment, machinery, vehicles (if applicable) |
| **Audio/visual** | Recordings, photos, videos, surveillance footage |

Key emphasis: metadata must be preserved intact; no format conversions; personal devices/accounts included if used for business.

## Litigation Hold Checklist

Instruct recipient to:

- [ ] Suspend all routine destruction, auto-deletion, email purging, and retention schedules immediately
- [ ] Issue written hold notice to all custodians by name and position
- [ ] Direct IT to disable auto-deletion, preserve backups, protect systems from data-destructive maintenance
- [ ] Preserve all newly created documents relating to the matter
- [ ] Maintain records of all preservation efforts
- [ ] Continue hold until matter resolved or written release provided

## Spoliation Consequences

Address with appropriate firmness:

- FRCP 37(e) sanctions: monetary penalties through adverse inference instructions
- Dismissal or default judgment in egregious cases
- Contempt findings
- Sanctions apply even for negligent destruction; intentional destruction risks punitive sanctions and criminal liability
- Routine business practices are not a defense once litigation is reasonably anticipated

## Pitfalls and Checks

- **Scope calibration** — omit inapplicable categories (e.g., no physical evidence in a pure contract dispute)
- **No strategy disclosure** — provide enough context for compliance, nothing more
- **Ongoing duty** — emphasize preservation is continuous, not one-time
- **Questions ≠ delay** — state that scope questions do not excuse or delay compliance
- **Temporal scope** — define explicitly with start and end dates
- **Jurisdiction** — default to federal (FRCP 37(e)); adapt to state rules if specified
- **Tone** — professional courtesy with unmistakable firmness
- **Citations** — verify all case law and statutory references; mark uncertain ones with [VERIFY]