Leveraging Discovery Special Masters in Complex Business Cases: A Case Study

Description

Discovery in complex business cases presents unique challenges. Between traditional discovery and ESI, discovery in a complicated case can often add layers of complexity, cost, time and frustration to an already difficult case.

Traditional discovery in complex cases is already rife with disputes. When disputes regarding the breadth and scope of ESI are layered on top of those disputes, discovery can easily come to a standstill. How do you keep discovery moving in cases where the parties argue on almost every discovery issue? The courts have full dockets and neither the time nor inclination to devote enough resources to become “experts” in the discovery issues in your case.

Using a discovery special master offers an alternative to the traditional discovery route that can save time and money and help the case resolve more quickly. Selecting a seasoned trial lawyer to serve as discovery special master and handle all discovery-related issues—rather than referring those issues to the court—can streamline discovery, save significant fees, costs and time, and help the parties get to a place where they can evaluate and ultimately settle the case at a point that might not be possible under a more traditional model.

Listen as our authoritative panel presents a case study illustrating the benefits of using a discovery special master in CryoLife Inc. v. Medafor Inc., a complex business dispute between two biomedical companies over an exclusive distribution agreement. You'll hear from the discovery special master and counsel for both the plaintiff and defendant as they discuss how the discovery special master reduced the burden on the court while providing expertise, case focus, and speedy resolution of difficult discovery issues.