united-states evidence litigation
How to notify a corporation to not destroy any evidence because a legal case may be filed?
<p>What is the procedure to notify a corporation to not destroy any evidence because a civil legal complaint will likely be filed?  Criminal complaints may also be pending, but that will be up to the prosecuting agencies.  The corporation is located in the USA.</p>
<p>The evidence that needs to be retained includes documents in their possession, notes from their employees, detailed call records, and telephone recording they made.</p>
<p>Note that some of their recordings were made illegally, but their staff has confirmed they did record the calls.  I'm not sure if that complicates things at all.</p>
<p>Also, if there are standard documents for this purpose available online, links to such documents are welcome.</p>

<p>The standard practice is to send the opposing party -- or better yet, its attorney -- a preservation letter, also known as a litigation hold. The letter notifies the receiving party that the sender is contemplating litigation, which triggers the recipient's duty to retain relevant records.</p>
<p>Google for &quot;sample presevation letter&quot; or &quot;sample litigation hold&quot; and you'll find plenty of examples.</p>
