Red Valve, Inc. v. Titan Valve, Inc.

2019 NCBC 4

• Court: North Carolina Business Court
• Decided: January 11, 2019
• Docket: 18-CVS-1064
• Status: Published

Opinion

Red Valve, Inc. v. Titan Valve, Inc., 2019 NCBC 4.

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION GASTON COUNTY 18 CVS 1064

RED VALVE, INC.; and HILLENBRAND, INC.,

Plaintiffs,

v. ORDER AND OPINION ON PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR TITAN VALVE, INC.; BEN PAYNE; SANCTIONS1 FABIAN AEDO ORTIZ; GREG FARRIS; and JOHN DOES 1-10,

Defendants.

1. THIS MATTER is before the Court upon Plaintiffs’ Motion for Sanctions

(the “Motion for Sanctions” or the “Motion”) in the above-captioned case.

2. Having considered the Motion for Sanctions, the briefs in support of and in

opposition to the Motion, and the arguments of counsel at the December 18, 2018

hearing (the “December 18 Hearing”) on the Motion, the Court hereby GRANTS the

Motion, ENTERS the following FINDINGS OF FACT and CONCLUSIONS OF

LAW, and ORDERS as follows.

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, by David N. Allen, Benjamin S. Chesson, and Anna Majestro, for Plaintiffs Red Valve, Inc. and Hillenbrand, Inc.

Gray, Layton, Kersh, Solomon, Furr & Smith, P.A., by Michael L. Carpenter, Marshall P. Walker, and Christopher L. Welchel, and Bell,

1 Recognizing that this Order and Opinion cites and discusses the subject matter of documents that the Court has previously allowed to remain filed under seal in this case, the Court elected to file this Order and Opinion under seal on January 11, 2019. The Court permitted the parties an opportunity to advise whether the Order and Opinion contained confidential information that either side contended should be redacted from a public version of this document. Plaintiffs and Defendants subsequently advised the Court that no redactions are necessary. Accordingly, the Court removes the “filed under seal” designation and files this Order and Opinion, without redactions, as a matter of public record. Davis & Pitt, P.A., by Derek Bast and Edward B. Davis, for Defendants Titan Valve, Inc, Ben Payne, Fabian Aedo Ortiz, and Greg Farris.2

Bledsoe, Chief Judge.

I.

FINDINGS OF FACT

3. Plaintiffs filed a Verified Complaint initiating this action on March 14, 2018.

Plaintiffs asserted claims against Defendants Titan Valve, Inc. (“Titan”), Ben Payne

(“Payne”), Fabian Aedo Ortiz (“Aedo”), and Greg Farris (“Farris”) (collectively,

“Defendants”) arising out of Defendants’ alleged wrongful conduct in acquiring,

possessing, and using Red Valve’s alleged confidential and proprietary information

in a competing valve manufacturing company that they created shortly before Payne

and Aedo’s March 14, 2018 termination from Red Valve.

4. At the same time Plaintiffs filed their Verified Complaint, they also filed a

Notice of Designation, as well as a Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order (the

“TRO Motion”) and Motion for Preliminary Injunction (the “P.I. Motion”). The TRO

and P.I. Motions sought injunctive relief based on Plaintiffs’ claims for

misappropriation of trade secrets against all Defendants and for breach of contract

against Aedo.

5. This case was designated as a complex business case later that same day by

the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina and assigned to the

undersigned.

2 Attorneys from Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A. first appeared as counsel of record for Defendants in this action on October 18, 2018. 6. Promptly upon designation, the Court held a hearing on the TRO Motion, ex

parte, at which Plaintiffs’ counsel was present. At the conclusion of the on March 14

hearing, the Court entered a temporary restraining order (the “TRO”), which became

effective immediately and was scheduled to expire on March 24, 2018. Among other

things, the TRO required that Defendants “return to Red Valve any and all Red Valve

property in their possession, including any property containing Red Valve’s Trade

Secrets or any other confidential and proprietary information of Red Valve” within

three days of entry of the TRO. (TRO 6, ECF No. 7.) On March 22, 2018, the Court

granted the parties’ joint motion to extend the TRO and scheduled the hearing on the

P.I. Motion for April 5, 2018.

7. On March 28, 2018, Plaintiffs filed a motion for expedited discovery (the

“Expedited Discovery Motion”) in preparation for the hearing on the P.I. Motion. The

Court held a telephone hearing on the Expedited Discovery Motion the following day,

March 29, 2018. The Court entered an Order on March 30, 2018 memorializing its

oral ruling at the telephone hearing, granting in part and denying in part the

Expedited Discovery Motion (the “Expedited Discovery Order”). (Order Pls.’ Mot.

Expedited Disc. [hereinafter “Expedited Disc. Order”], ECF No. 23.) The Expedited

Discovery Order required Defendants to produce the following to Plaintiffs no later

than April 3, 2018:

i. all materials containing Red Valve’s Trade Secrets, as defined in the Court’s March 14, 2018 TRO. ii. all marketing and/or promotional materials related to Titan Valve’s products. iii. all photographs or renderings identifying, describing, or depicting any product sold or planned to be sold by Titan Valve. iv. all documents describing all efforts undergone to create Titan Valve prior to March 14, 2018.

(Expedited Disc. Order 5.)

8. The Expedited Discovery Order further provided that:

Defendants shall examine their email accounts (personal or otherwise) and no later than 3:00 PM on April 3, 2018 “return to Red Valve any and all Red Valve property in their possession, including any property containing Red Valve’s Trade Secrets [as defined in the TRO] or any other confidential and proprietary information of Red Valve,” as required at paragraph 3 on page 6 of the TRO.

(Expedited Disc. Order 5 (quoting TRO 6).)3 For purposes of this Opinion, the Court

refers to the obligation imposed by the portion of the Expedited Discovery Order

discussed in paragraph 7 above as the “Expedited Discovery Order” and the portion

of that Order discussed in paragraph 8 above as the “Return Order.”

9. On April 3, 2018, Defendants produced to Plaintiffs approximately 3,215

files in a variety of formats, without distinguishing files produced in response to the

Return Order from those produced in response to the Expedited Discovery Order (the

“April 3 Production”). Later the same day, Defendants produced twenty-one

3 The Expedited Discovery Order also permitted Plaintiffs to take a Rule 30(b)(6) deposition of Titan on a specific list of topics on April 4, 2018. Titan then timely designated Farris to testify as its Rule 30(b)(6) deponent. Farris testified that, in preparing for the deposition, he spoke to Payne and Aedo “[p]robably no more than 20 minutes.” (Pls.’ Exs. Mem. Law Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex. A, at 5:23–25 [hereinafter “Titan Dep.”], ECF No. 92.) Farris further testified that he did not review any e-mails in preparation of the Rule 30(b)(6) deposition and did not know whether he had reviewed any of the documents contained in the April 3 Production. (Titan Dep. at 6:10–22.) Although Plaintiffs have not advanced Farris’s evident lack of preparation for Plaintiffs’ Rule 30(b)(6) deposition of Titan as a basis for sanctions, the Court nevertheless notes its concern that Titan does not appear to have taken seriously its obligations under Rule 30(b)(6). additional screenshots of certain text messages exchanged between the individual

10. The Court held a hearing on the P.I. Motion on April 5, 2018, at which all

parties that have appeared in this action were represented by counsel. With the

parties’ consent and for good cause shown, the Court entered an Order on April 5,

2018 extending the TRO until April 10, 2018. (Order Extending TRO, ECF No. 33.)

11. On April 10, 2018, the Court entered an Order and Opinion on Plaintiffs’

P.I. Motion (the “P.I. Order”), as corrected on April 17, 2018. See Red Valve, Inc. v.

Titan Valve, Inc., 2018 NCBC LEXIS 41 (N.C. Super. Ct. Apr. 17, 2018). The P.I.

Order restrained and enjoined “Defendants, and any persons or entities in active

concert or participation with any of them . . . from using, disclosing, or distributing

Plaintiffs’ Customer Database, Price Data, Design Documents, and Protectable

Manufacturing Processes” as defined in the P.I. Order. Id. at *43. Additionally,

paragraph 85(b) of the P.I. Order required that each Defendant do the following on

or before April 19, 2018:

(i) return to Plaintiffs all of Plaintiffs’ property, including but not limited to Plaintiffs’ Trade Secrets, and (ii) certify under oath in a written statement filed with the Court that Defendant has returned to Plaintiffs all of Plaintiffs’ property in Defendant’s possession and further that Defendant does not retain or possess any Red Valve property.

Id.

12. Upon Defendants’ request, by Order dated April 17, 2018 (the “Order

Clarifying P.I.”), the Court deferred the deadline for Defendants’ performance under

paragraph 85(b) of the P.I. Order as it related to Plaintiffs’ electronically stored information (“ESI”) in Defendants’ possession. (Order Clarifying P.I. 2–3, ECF No.

417.) The Order Clarifying P.I. required that the parties promptly meet, confer, and

propose a return and preservation protocol concerning Defendants’ return of ESI (the

“Return Protocol”) no later than April 27, 2018. (Order Clarifying P.I. 2.)4

13. In May 2018, the parties began discovery in the ordinary course, and

Plaintiffs served written discovery requests on Defendants on May 16, August 3,

September 6, September 29, and September 30, 2018.

14. Consistent with the Return Protocol,5 Defendants produced to Plaintiffs in

July 2018 the file path information for over 200,000 files on Defendants’ computers.

Plaintiffs subsequently identified eighty-two files that were not produced during

Expedited Discovery, but appeared responsive to the Expedited Discovery Order

based on identifying information contained in the file paths. On September 10, 2018,

Plaintiffs’ counsel provided Defendants with a list of the eighty-two files that,

according to Plaintiffs, should have been produced pursuant to the Expedited

Discovery Order. (Pls.’ Exs. Mem. Law Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex. C, ECF No. 92.)

4 The Order Clarifying P.I. did not extend the April 19, 2018 compliance date as to Plaintiffs’ property in Defendants’ possession that did not constitute Plaintiffs’ ESI. (Order Clarifying P.I. 2–3.) On April 19, 2018, all Defendants certified under oath that they had returned to Plaintiffs all non-ESI property. (See Certification Fabian Oritz, ECF No. 48; Certification of Ben Payne, ECF No. 47; Certification of Greg Farris, ECF No. 46; Certification of Greg Farris on Behalf Titan Valve, Inc., ECF No. 45.)

5 Between April and October 2018, the parties, with the Court’s oversight and input through numerous hearings, negotiated and implemented a twenty-step Return Protocol through which Defendants were to locate, return, and delete all Red Valve property from devices and sources within the possession of Payne, Aedo, or Titan, and within the possession or control of Farris. The Return Protocol consisted of four phases: (i) device collection and imaging; (ii) identification of Red Valve property; (iii) preservation and return; and (iv) deletion. Based on Defendants’ counsel’s representations, it appears that the final phase of the Return Protocol—deletion—was completed on December 12, 2018. Defendants disagreed, and the parties held a meet-and-confer on September 14, 2018

but were unable to resolve their dispute.

15. On September 21, 2018, Plaintiffs submitted to the Court a summary

pursuant to Rule 10.9 of the General Rules of Practice and Procedure for the North

Carolina Business Court (“BCR”) (the “10.9 Summary”) alleging deficiencies with

Defendants’ April 3 Production. Plaintiffs specifically argued that the April 3

Production was (i) substantively deficient based on the file path information for

unproduced files and (ii) procedurally deficient in that Defendants did not identify

the documents responsive to the Expedited Discovery Order and the documents

returned pursuant to the Return Order.

16. The Court convened a telephone conference on September 28, 2018 to

address, among other things, the issues raised in the 10.9 Summary. The Court

accepted Defendants’ representation that “[t]o the extent any documents were missed

in the rushed four-day Expedited Discovery review, Plaintiffs will receive those

documents as part of the pending discovery requests[.]” The Court directed

Defendants to produce the documents prior to the hearing scheduled for October 15,

2018.6 After the Court issued its ruling, Plaintiffs’ counsel indicated that Plaintiffs

would reserve argument as to the missing documents until after production was

made.

6 The parties disagree as to whether the Court ordered Defendants during the September 28, 2018 telephone conference to produce the documents no later than October 15, 2018. While the Court did not issue a written order subsequent to the telephone conference, the Court’s notes of the conference reflect that the Court ordered production by October 15. 17. Defendants did not produce any documents between September 28 and

October 15, 2018. On October 16, 2018, Defendants produced 2,593 documents,

nearly half of which were duplicative. Defendants supplemented their production on

October 20, 2018 with an additional 839 documents.

18. Plaintiffs filed their Motion for Sanctions on November 5, 2018, including as

Exhibit D fifty-eight documents that Plaintiffs contend were responsive to the

Expedited Discovery Order but not timely produced (the “Pre-Filing Withheld

Documents”).7 (See Pls.’ Exs. Mem. Law Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex. D, ECF No. 92.)

19. On November 6, 2018, Defendants produced an additional 108 documents,

which, according to Defendants, consisted primarily of documents that were

inadvertently miscoded during the initial review. (Defs.’ Resp. Opp’n Pls.’ Mot.

Sanctions 6–7, ECF No. 109.) On November 16, 2018, Defendants produced an

additional 338 documents, including 254 messages from the individual Defendants’

cellphones.

20. On November 21, 2018, Plaintiffs, with Defendants’ consent, tendered via e-

mail to the Court a proposed Supplemental Brief in Support of Motion for Sanctions.8

(See Pls.’ Suppl. Br. Supp. Mot. Sanctions, ECF No. 111.) Plaintiffs identified an

additional forty-eight documents, all of which Defendants produced on November 6

or November 16, that Plaintiffs contend were responsive to the Expedited Discovery

7 The fifty-eight Pre-Filing Withheld Documents were among the eighty-two files that were at issue in Plaintiffs’ September 21, 2018 10.9 Summary.

8 At the Court’s direction, Plaintiffs subsequently filed their Supplemental Brief in Support of Motion for Sanctions on the Court’s e-docket on November 29, 2018. Order (the “Post-Filing Withheld Documents” and, together with the Pre-Filing

Withheld Documents, the “Withheld Documents”). (See Pls.’ Suppl. Br. Supp. Mot.

Sanctions Ex. A, ECF No. 111.1.)

21. The Motion is fully briefed, a hearing has been held, and the Motion is ripe

for determination.

II.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

22. As noted, paragraph 9(b) of the Expedited Discovery Order required

Defendants to produce the following no later than April 3, 2018:

i. all materials containing Red Valve’s Trade Secrets, as defined in the Court’s March 14, 2018 TRO. ii. all marketing and/or promotional materials related to Titan Valve’s products. iii. all photographs or renderings identifying, describing, or depicting any product sold or planned to be sold by Titan Valve. iv. all documents describing all efforts undergone to create Titan Valve prior to March 14, 2018.

(Expedited Disc. Order 5 (emphasis added).) Critical to the resolution of the Motion

is the parties’ dispute over the meaning of the word “create” in paragraph 9(b)(iv) and

thus the scope of production that was required under the Expedited Discovery Order.

23. Defendants contend that paragraph 9(b)(iv) only extends to documents

related to Titan’s incorporation. According to Defendants’ narrow interpretation,

“efforts to create Titan concluded on February 6, 2018” when its Articles of

Incorporation were filed with the North Carolina Secretary of State. (Defs.’ Resp.

Opp’n Pls.’ Mot. Sanctions 13.) Plaintiffs respond that paragraph 9(b)(iv) extends not

only to incorporation-related documents, but also to those documents describing efforts undertaken to launch Titan. Plaintiffs are correct, and the Court concludes

that Defendants’ restrictive interpretation is unreasonable and inconsistent with the

Court’s Expedited Discovery Order.

24. As an initial matter, at the time the Court entered the Expedited Discovery

Order, the Court was aware that Titan was incorporated on February 6, 2018. (See

Verified Compl. ¶ 74, ECF No. 3 (“On February 6, 2018, Defendant Farris

incorporated Titan Valve with the North Carolina Secretary of State[.]”).) The

Court’s Expedited Discovery Order, however, covered documents “describing all

efforts undergone to create Titan Valve prior to March 14, 2018,” a period extending

six weeks after Titan’s formal incorporation. (Expedited Disc. Order 5.) Had the

Court intended paragraph 9(b)(iv) to cover only pre-incorporation documents, as

Defendants argue it did, the Court would not have ordered the production of

documents generated after Titan’s February 6, 2018 incorporation.

25. Moreover, the Court’s use of the word “create” in paragraph 9(b)(iv) in lieu

of the word “incorporate” intentionally reproduced a proposed discovery request that

Plaintiffs submitted in connection with the Expedited Discovery Motion. To create

means “[t]o bring into being; to cause to exist; to produce; to make, for example, a

machine or a corporation.” Create, Ballentine’s Law Dictionary (3d ed. 2010). As

applied here, efforts undergone to create Titan necessarily included plans to lease

property, plans concerning signage, logos, payroll and accounting systems, filings

with governmental agencies, governance documents, and other activities necessary

to begin operations as Titan. Lining up customers, vendors, and employees to join Titan before operations began are also part of a course of conduct that brought Titan

into existence. By adopting an unreasonably narrow definition of “create,”

Defendants failed to produce dozens of documents that were responsive to paragraph

9(b)(iv) of the Expedited Discovery Order and are relevant to core contentions at the

heart of Plaintiffs’ claims.

26. For example, Defendants failed to produce a December 2017 e-mail from

Aedo to the other individual Defendants under the subject line “We are ! Presentation

under development” with an attached presentation that Aedo stated was “to show

who we are, our goals, how will we get there, what do we offer, etc.” (Pls.’ Exs. Mem.

Law Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex. D, at 25.) In the same e-mail, Aedo included a list of

four proposed names for the to-be-formed entity, one of which was “Titan.” Although

Defendants contend that this December 2017 e-mail is only “[a]rguably [r]esponsive”

to paragraph 9(b)(iv), (Defs.’ Resp. Opp’n Pls.’ Mot. Sanctions Ex. B, at 2, ECF No.

109.3), this document and others like it fall squarely within the scope of the Expedited

Discovery Order.

27. A sampling of other e-mails Defendants did not include in their April 3

Production reflects the same failure to comply with the Expedited Discovery Order.

For example, Defendants did not produce the following:

a. A January 2018 e-mail between Aedo and a third-party in which Aedo,

among other things, (i) referred to an April 23, 2018 trade fair as Titan’s

“official [l]aunch;” (ii) indicated that Titan had obtained a building to be

used as a plant and that “we are moving equipment in this week;” and (iii) stated “[w]e believe by next week we will have products to show and

also by the end of next week perhaps a sample of our logo.” (Pls.’ Exs.

Mem. Law Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex. D, at 45.)

b. A January 24, 2018 e-mail from Aedo to a third-party bearing the subject

line “Titan!!!” in which Aedo suggested that the recipient “should travel

to Gastonia, visit the RV [i.e., Red Valve] plant, and while you are there

we can get together to plan or at least so you can get to know my company

and see how we are moving forward[.]” (Pls.’ Exs. Mem. Law Supp. Mot.

Sanctions Ex. D, at 67.)

c. A pre-incorporation e-mail exchange between Aedo and a third-party

discussing potential logo designs for Titan. (Pls.’ Exs. Mem. Law Supp.

Mot. Sanctions Ex. D, at 93.)

d. A February 1, 2018 e-mail from Aedo to a potential Titan customer in

which Aedo described Titan’s plans to “start building” duck bill valves,

which Red Valve currently manufactures under the “Tideflex” brand

name. (Pls.’ Exs. Mem. Law Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex. G, at 269.) In the

e-mail, Aedo stated as follows:

Currently there’s about 20 companies building Duck bill valves and none are good or a thread [sic] to tideflex on quality, Titan can be the only one today that can build same or better quality and lower price significantly. Once you visit we will take a tour in Tideflex as well so you can see how this product is manufactured which I believe is beautiful[.]

(Pls.’ Exs. Mem. Law Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex. G, at 269.) Each of these e-mails reflects efforts taken to create Titan prior to March 14, 2018

and were required to be produced under the Expedited Discovery Order.

28. Even if the Court were to adopt Defendants’ unreasonably narrow

interpretation of paragraph 9(b)(iv), Defendants’ April 3 Production is still deficient.

For example, Defendants failed to produce an e-mail exchange between the individual

Defendants and a third-party CPA bearing the subject line “EIN & S-Corp Election,”

which attached a letter from the IRS assigning Titan an Employer Identification

Number and a Form 2553. (Pls.’ Suppl. Br. Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex. A, at 2–8.)

Indeed, based on the representations of Plaintiffs’ counsel at the December 18

Hearing, it appears that Defendants have not even produced Titan’s Articles of

Incorporation through either expedited discovery or regular discovery, a document

which would certainly appear to be responsive even under Defendants’ constrained

reading of paragraph 9(b)(iv).

29. As discussed more fully below, that Defendants contend such documents are

unresponsive, or only “arguably responsive,” to an order compelling production of “all

documents describing all efforts undergone to create Titan Valve” raises serious

concerns that Defendants’ determinations of responsiveness under the Expedited

Discovery Order and in response to Plaintiffs’ written discovery requests during

regular discovery are unreasonably limited and unreliable.

30. Based on the evidence of record, the Court concludes that Defendants’ April

3 Production was substantially incomplete in violation of the Expedited Discovery

Order. Defendants did not seek to supplement that production, and the Post-Filing Withheld Documents were not produced until just days before fact discovery was set

to expire.

31. Rule 37(b) of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure permits a court to

order a variety of sanctions against a party who fails to obey a court order regarding

discovery. See F.E. Davis Plumbing Co. v. Ingleside W. Assocs., 37 N.C. App. 149,

152, 245 S.E.2d 555, 557 (1978). These sanctions include, but are not limited to, the

establishment of facts, the exclusion of evidence, the striking out of pleadings or parts

thereof, or the dismissal of an action. N.C. R. Civ. P. 37(b)(2).

32. “The imposition of sanctions under Rule 37 ‘is in the sound discretion of the

trial judge and cannot be overturned absent a showing of abuse of that discretion.’”

In re Pedestrian Walkway Failure, 173 N.C. App. 237, 246, 618 S.E.2d 819, 826 (2005)

(quoting Bumgarner v. Reneau, 332 N.C. 624, 631, 422 S.E.2d 686, 690 (1992)). A

trial court will only be held to have abused its discretion “where the court’s ruling is

manifestly unsupported by reason or is so arbitrary that it could not have been the

result of a reasoned decision.” E. Brooks Wilkins Family Med., P.A. v. WakeMed, 244

N.C. App. 567, 578, 784 S.E.2d 178, 185 (2016).

33. “North Carolina courts do not presently require the party requesting

sanctions to demonstrate, as a part of its burden, that it suffered prejudice as a result

of the opposing party’s discovery failures or that the opposing party acted willfully.”

Tumlin v. Tuggle Duggins P.A., 2018 NCBC LEXIS 225, at *31 (N.C. Super. Ct. May

22, 2018); see Henderson v. Wachovia Bank of N.C., N.A., 145 N.C. App. 621, 629, 551

S.E.2d 464, 470 (2001) (“[T]he plain language of Rule 37 does not require a showing of willfulness.”); Out of the Box Developers, LLC v. LogicBit Corp., 2014 NCBC LEXIS

7, at *8 (N.C. Super. Ct. Mar. 20, 2014) (“[T]he party seeking Rule 37 sanctions need

not show prejudice resulting from the sanctionable conduct.”). “Willfulness, bad faith,

or prejudice to another party do, however, influence this court’s discretion in

determining the appropriate sanction.” Out of the Box Developers, LLC, 2014 NCBC

LEXIS 7, at *8.

34. The Court concludes, in the exercise of its discretion, that Defendants’

failure to comply with the Expedited Discovery Order through their unreasonably

narrow interpretation of the Order was not substantially justified, prejudiced

Plaintiffs by causing unnecessary delay in the discovery and prosecution of their

claims, and warrants the imposition of sanctions.

35. The Court next considers appropriate sanctions for Defendants’ discovery

misconduct.

A. Forensic Discovery of Defendants’ Devices

36. Plaintiffs seek as a sanction an order permitting the forensic examination of

all data sources and devices in Defendants’ possession or control since July 2017.

Plaintiffs contend that such an examination is warranted based on Defendants’

conduct in discovery and potential spoliation of evidence. According to Plaintiffs, the

Court cannot know the full extent of Defendants’ discovery abuses until a forensic

analysis is complete. Defendants respond that device discovery is inappropriate

because, even if all documents responsive to the Expedited Discovery Order were not

included in the April 3 Production, such documents were produced in regular discovery, and the Return Protocol process included a review of information on

numerous devices that Plaintiffs now seek to have forensically examined. After

careful consideration, the Court concludes, in the exercise of its discretion, that a

forensic examination should be ordered as described below.

37. “In addition to those sanctions specified by Rule 37(b)(2), the rule authorizes

the court, upon failure to comply with a discovery order, to ‘make such orders with

regard to the failure as are just.’” Leary v. Nantahala Power & Light Co., 76 N.C.

App. 165, 170, 332 S.E.2d 703, 707 (1985) (quoting N.C. R. Civ. P. 37(b)(2)). When

considering a forensic examination of a party’s data sources and devices, the

requesting party need not “specifically identify the exact documents he contends are

missing,” but must “at least provide some circumstantial evidence to suggest that

potentially relevant information is missing in order to justify the burden of a forensic

examination.” Tumlin, 2018 NCBC LEXIS 225, at *40 (citing Arndt v. First Union

Nat’l Bank, 170 N.C. App. 518, 527–28, 613 S.E.2d 274, 281 (2005)).

38. “In ‘cases where trade secrets and electronic evidence are both involved, the

[c]ourts have granted permission to obtain mirror images of the computer equipment

which may contain electronic data related to the alleged violation.’” Lifetouch Nat’l

Sch. Studios, Inc. v. Moss-Williams, No. C10-05297 RMW (HRL), 2013 U.S. Dist.

LEXIS 148360, at *5 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 15, 2013) (quoting Balboa Threadworks, Inc. v.

Stucky, No. 05-1157-JTM-DWB, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29265, at *7–8 (D. Kan. Mar.

24, 2006)).9

9 Because “[t]he North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure are, for the most part, verbatim recitations of the federal rules,” our courts have recognized that “[d]ecisions under the federal 39. “Apart from compelling production and inspection of computer hard drives

and forensic imaging where trade secrets and electronic evidence are involved, courts

have also compelled production based upon discrepancies or inconsistencies in a

response to a discovery request or the responding party’s unwillingness or failure to

produce relevant information.” White v. Graceland Coll. Ctr. for Prof’l Dev. & Lifelong

Learning, Inc., No. 07-2319-CM, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22068, at *22–24 n.17 (D.

Kan. Mar. 18, 2009); see Koosharem Corp. v. Spec Personnel, LLC, Civ. A. No. 6:08-

583-HFF-WMC, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108396, at *2–12 (D.S.C. Sept. 29, 2008)

(allowing forensic analysis of defendants’ computers based upon failure to produce

documents and due to the relevance of ESI on the computers); Orrell v. Motorcarparts

of Am., Inc., No. Civ. 3:06CV418-R, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 89524, at *4, 7, 26

(W.D.N.C. Dec. 5, 2007) (permitting employer defendant to conduct forensic

examination of plaintiff’s home computer where plaintiff wiped hard drive of work-

issued laptop and testified she forwarded e-mail to home computer).

40. However, “mere skepticism that an opposing party has not produced all

relevant information is not sufficient to warrant drastic electronic discovery

measures.” John B. v. Goetz, 531 F.3d 448, 460 (6th Cir. 2008) (citing McCurdy Grp.,

LLC v. Am. Biomedical Grp., Inc., 9 F. App’x 822, 831 (10th Cir. 2001)).

rules are . . . pertinent for guidance and enlightenment in developing the philosophy of the North Carolina rules.” Turner v. Duke Univ., 325 N.C. 152, 164, 381 S.E.2d 706, 713 (1989); see, e.g., Tumlin, 2018 NCBC LEXIS 225, at *29 (“To the extent such law does not conflict with binding North Carolina precedent, the Court finds the guidance provided in the Sedona Conference Principles, Rule 37(e) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and federal case law on [Rule 37(b)(2) sanctions] persuasive to guide its analysis.”). 41. The Court concludes here, in the exercise of its discretion, for good cause

shown, and after considering lesser sanctions, that forensic discovery of Defendants’

data sources and devices is warranted based on Defendants’ discovery misconduct.

The information Defendants took from Plaintiffs as they prepared to launch Titan,

and the personal electronic devices and other data sources that Defendants used to

take, store, transfer, or delete Plaintiffs’ allegedly confidential and proprietary

information, lie at the heart of this litigation. Plaintiffs have alleged, and presented

substantial evidence tending to show, both that Defendants used these devices to

access, use, and transfer Red Valve’s confidential and proprietary information and

that Defendants failed to return responsive documents relating to core issues in this

case pursuant to the Expedited Discovery Order.

42. In particular, in addition to withholding documents responsive to the

Expedited Discovery Order as discussed above, documents produced in November

2018—after Plaintiffs’ Motion for Sanctions was filed—strongly suggest that

Defendants concealed and improperly redacted adverse evidence in their April 3

Production. For instance, a screenshot of the following January 27, 2018 text

message exchange among the individual Defendants was included within the April 3

Production:

Farris (date unclear): Got it

Aedo (1/27/18): [sent video image]

Aedo (1/27/18): Today I worked with the animator on our valve but he needs the car drawings

Aedo (1/27/18): Look at the video he did for me (Pls.’ Reply Br. Supp. Mot. Sanctions 2, ECF No. 115.)

43. Although the screenshot image appears to show four complete text

messages, documents Defendants produced on November 16, 2018 strongly suggest

that the screenshot was manipulated to omit critical information. Specifically, the

final text message from Aedo provided, in its entirety, “Look at the video he did for

me based on a rv drawing.” (Pls.’ Suppl. Br. Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex. A, at 29

(emphasis added).) The omitted portion of this message—“based on a rv [i.e., Red

Valve] drawing”—is highly relevant to Plaintiffs’ claims and completely changes the

factual context of the document as produced. Yet Defendants did not produce the full

message in their April 3 Production, instead orienting the screenshot to omit this

critical phrase from the April 3 Production and delaying full production of the

exchange for over seven months until after Plaintiffs moved for sanctions.

Defendants’ claim of coincidence or inadvertence is unpersuasive, particularly when

considering that Defendants included the first message in the series—“Got it”—which

has no evident relevance to the subsequent exchange or any issue in this case.

44. Similarly, in response to the Expedited Discovery Order, Defendants

produced a screenshot of the following February 16, 2018 text message exchange

between Payne and Farris:

Farris (1/31/18): Just pulled into house

Payne (1/31/18): K. I got rubber parts for prototypes. How they coming?

Farris (1/31/18): Fifty percent still need to do plates

Farris (1/31/18): Thursday afternoon Friday morning Payne (1/31/18): K. U get him tax id info?

Payne (2/16/18): Are prototypes done? Our tax id get here yet? Can I get a key to building?

(Pls.’ Reply Br. Supp. Mot. Sanctions 9.)

45. As with the screenshot of the January 27, 2018 exchange, this screenshot

was oriented to omit critical information. Post-Filing Withheld Documents show that

the final message in the series actually stated, in its entirety: “Any prototypes done?

Our tax id get here yet? Can I get a key to building? Any building stations done?”

(Pls.’ Suppl. Br. Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex. A, at 42 (emphasis added).) The omitted

portion, which suggests Defendants were then engaged in creating building stations

in their effort to launch Titan, is again highly relevant to Plaintiffs’ claims and plainly

responsive to paragraph 9(b)(iv) of the Expedited Discovery Order. As before, the

first message included in the series for production—“[j]ust pulled into house”—does

not add context and is irrelevant.

46. In addition, Plaintiffs have offered evidence tending to show Defendants

have spoliated evidence. Specifically, the evidence shows that (i) Aedo admitted to

attempting to delete files from the Dropbox account on the day of his termination,

(Williams Aff. ¶ 5, ECF No. 28); (ii) the night of his termination, Aedo remotely wiped

his Red Valve iPhone and data and thus deleted “any text messages, chats (including

iMessages), calendar entries, call records, Apple Notes, Internet history, voicemails,

and any other use data generated on the device from March 2017 through [his]

termination” in March 2018, (Walton Aff. ¶ 18, ECF 32; see Williams Aff. ¶ 5); and (iii) Payne’s Red Valve cell phone is “inaccessible,” and its contents have not been

produced, (Defs.’ Resp. Opp’n Pls.’ Mot. Sanctions 21–22).

47. This conduct—Defendants’ failure to produce documents in the April 3

Production, omission of critical information from documents included in the April 3

Production, and potential spoliation of evidence—makes plain, whether considered

individually or in combination, that further forensic examination of Defendants’

devices and data sources is necessary for the proper administration of justice in this

case.

48. The need for a forensic examination is further highlighted by Red Valve’s

failure to locate and produce a number of USB devices that were connected to Payne’s

Red Valve computer during the relevant time period that potentially contain relevant

information. In support of their P.I. Motion, Plaintiffs offered evidence that their

expert’s initial forensic examination of Payne’s Red Valve computer revealed that “a

large amount of USB device activity” took place between October 2017 and Payne’s

termination in March 2018. (Walton Aff. ¶ 7.) Plaintiffs’ expert averred that thirteen

USB devices were connected to Payne’s Red Valve computer between October 2017

and March 2018. (Walton Aff. ¶ 7.) At that time, only two of the thirteen USB devices

had been located during a search of Payne’s office at Red Valve, leaving eleven

unaccounted for. (Walton Aff. ¶ 7.) It was not until October 23, 2018 that Defendants

advised Plaintiffs that they were in possession of two of the missing eleven USB

devices.10 Nine other USB devices identified by Plaintiffs’ expert in April 2018 have

10The day prior, October 22, 2018, Defendants advised Plaintiffs and the Court that they were in possession of an additional USB device that Plaintiffs’ expert had not previously not been produced or accounted for. (Pls.’ Exs. Mem. Law Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex.

M, Ritzi Aff. ¶¶ 6–8, ECF No. 92.)

49. Plaintiffs seek a forensic examination of all data sources and devices used

by Defendants since July 2017. These sources and devices fall within two categories:

(i) Defendants’ data sources and devices that were subject to the Return Protocol

process (the “Return Protocol Data Sources”) and (ii) any other data sources or devices

used by Defendants that were not subject to the Return Protocol (the “Other Data

Sources”).

50. The Return Protocol defined Data Sources as follows:

all email accounts, cloud based storage accounts, computers, mobile devices, USB drives, and external hard drives in the possession of Defendants Payne, Aedo, and Titan, and the possession and control of Defendant Farris, which any Defendant believes (1) may contain or has ever contained any Red Valve Property, (2) has been connected to any Red Valve server or computer, or (3) has contained or does now contain any backup of any other Data Source.

(Pls.’ Exs. Mem. Law Supp. Mot. Sanctions Ex. B, at 2 [hereinafter “Return Protocol”],

ECF No. 92.) Under the Return Protocol, Envista Forensics, a consulting expert

retained by Defendants, was to create a mirror image of the Return Protocol Data

Sources and forensically preserve their contents in a format that preserves and

secures intact the original data and all metadata. (Return Protocol 5.) However,

Plaintiffs have not been provided certain metadata, including connected device

identified. Payne has acknowledged that this USB device was given to him in late June or early July 2018 by a current Red Valve employee and contained thousands of Red Valve build sheets (i.e., documents containing a comprehensive listing of the quantity and dimensions of materials used in the hand-fabrication of rubber sleeves and the detailed sequence in which each material is applied). (Payne Aff. ¶¶ 2–3, ECF No. 118; see Duer Aff. ¶ 17, ECF No. 28.) Payne’s failure to timely produce this USB device is a subject of Plaintiffs’ November 6, 2018 Motion for Order to Show Cause, which the Court will decide by separate order. histories, “log in” or access histories, and other access and use data under the Return

Protocol.

51. At the December 18 Hearing, Plaintiffs’ counsel advised that Plaintiffs

primarily seek a forensic examination to obtain information relating to the use and

access of Defendants’ devices rather than any substantive file information contained

on those devices. Plaintiffs argue that “[f]orensic analysis of the devices [that the

missing] USB drives may have been connected to is necessary to determine the full

story regarding the transfer of any files located on the drives.” (Pls.’ Br. Supp. Mot.

Sanctions 18, ECF No. 91.) In particular, Plaintiffs argue that a forensic examination

of Defendants’ data sources and devices will enable Plaintiffs to determine whether

Defendants connected the missing USB devices to other electronic devices that

Defendants used in launching Titan and, if so, whether files containing Red Valve’s

confidential and proprietary information were transferred or deleted.

52. The Court is persuaded, based on the evidence of record and in the exercise

of its discretion, that a forensic examination is justified and appropriate in the

circumstances of this case. As to Return Protocol Data Sources, the Court concludes

that a forensic examination of the access and use data from those sources is justified

and appropriate to determine which devices were connected to those sources, when

they were connected, and whether files were transferred or deleted. As to Defendants’

Other Data Sources, the Court concludes that Defendants should produce, for a

similar forensic examination of access and use data, mirror images of all Other Data

Sources used by Defendants since July 2017. Such sources shall include not only physical electronic data sources (i.e., computers, mobile devices, USB drives, and

external hard drives), but also cloud-based accounts and systems used to access and

store information. The parties shall be ordered to meet and confer to consider an

appropriate device discovery protocol to promptly complete the forensic examination

ordered hereunder.

B. Plaintiffs’ Reasonable Expenses

53. Plaintiffs also seek as a sanction that Defendants be required to pay

Plaintiffs’ reasonable expenses incurred in bringing the Motion for Sanctions,

including payment of Plaintiffs’ reasonable attorneys’ fees.

54. In lieu of or in addition to other sanctions permitted under Rule 37, “the

court shall require the party failing to obey the order to pay the reasonable expenses,

including attorney’s fees, caused by the failure, unless the court finds that the failure

was substantially justified or that other circumstances make an award of expenses

unjust.” N.C. R. Civ. P. 37(b)(2). Thus, “when a party compelled to provide discovery

[fails] to do so, an award of reasonable costs is mandatory unless the failure is

substantially justified or an award would be unjust due to other circumstances.”

Bradshaw v. Maiden, 2018 NCBC LEXIS 46, at *21–22 (N.C. Super. Ct. May 9, 2018)

(internal quotation marks omitted). Because awarded expenses are required to be

“reasonable, the record must contain findings of fact to support the award of any

expenses, including attorney’s fees.” Benfield v. Benfield, 89 N.C. App. 415, 422, 366

S.E.2d 500, 504 (1988). 55. As discussed above, Defendants failed to comply with the Expedited

Discovery Order by withholding responsive documents and concealing material,

adverse evidence. Defendants do not contend that their violative conduct resulted

from insufficient time to comply with the Expedited Discovery Order or that

responsive documents were not available in time for the April 3 Production. To the

contrary, Defendants contend that their production was proper and fully consistent

with the Expedited Discovery Order, a position the Court has found wholly without

merit. The Court therefore concludes, in the exercise of its discretion and based on

the evidence of record, that Defendants’ failure to comply with the Expedited

Discovery Order was not “substantially justified,” nor do the facts and circumstances

of this case “make an award of expenses unjust.” N.C. R. Civ. P. 37(b)(2).

56. Accordingly, the Court concludes, in the exercise of its discretion and under

the Court’s authority pursuant to Rule 37, that the circumstances here warrant the

entry of an order requiring Defendants to pay Plaintiffs’ reasonable expenses,

including Plaintiffs’ reasonable attorneys’ fees, incurred in (i) prosecuting the Motion

for Sanctions and (ii) seeking and obtaining the Withheld Documents, including

Plaintiffs’ expenses incurred in identifying documents responsive to the Expedited

Discovery Order, sending deficiency letters, engaging in meet and confer discussions,

and complying with the BCR 10.9 process. Plaintiffs may submit a petition to recover

these expenses as provided in this Order. C. Strike Answer to New Claims

57. As a further sanction, Plaintiffs ask the Court to preemptively strike

Defendants’ answer or other response to the newly asserted tortious interference

claims contained in Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint and preclude Defendants from

conducting discovery as to those claims.11 As justification, Plaintiffs argue that

Defendants’ misconduct has prejudiced “Plaintiffs’ ability to meaningfully gain access

to information in discovery that would have allowed them to prosecute their claims

against Defendants.” (Pls.’ Br. Supp. Mot. Sanctions 20–21.)

58. Rule 37(b) provides that appropriate sanctions may include, among other

things, an “order refusing to allow the disobedient party to support or oppose

designated claims or defenses” or “striking out pleadings or parts thereof.” N.C. R.

Civ. P. 37(b)(2)(b)–(c). “[S]triking a party’s answer is a severe sanction which should

only be imposed where the trial court has considered less severe sanctions and found

them to be inappropriate.” Few v. Hammack Enters., Inc., 132 N.C. App. 291, 299,

511 S.E.2d 665, 671 (1999) (citing Triad Mack Sales & Serv. v. Clement Bros. Co., 113

N.C. App. 405, 409, 438 S.E.2d 485, 488 (1994)). Moreover, “[i]mposition of sanctions

that are directed to the outcome of the case, such as dismissals, default judgments,

or preclusion orders, . . . are examined in the light of the general purpose of the Rules

11 Contemporaneous with their Motion for Sanctions, Plaintiffs filed a Motion to Amend Complaint, through which Plaintiffs sought to assert new claims for tortious interference with contract and tortious interference with economic advantage. (Pls.’ Mot. Am. Compl., ECF No. 86.) With Defendants’ consent, (Defs.’ Resp. Br. Pls.’ Mot. Am. Compl. 3, ECF No. 107), the Court granted Plaintiffs’ Motion to Amend Complaint on December 14, 2018, (Order Pls.’ Mot. Am. Compl., ECF No. 132), and Plaintiffs filed the Amended Complaint on December 19, 2018 (Am. Compl., ECF No. 136). to encourage trial on the merits.” Moore v. Mills, 190 N.C. App. 178, 180–81, 660

S.E.2d 589, 591 (2008) (quoting Am. Imps., Inc. v. G. E. Emps. W. Region Fed. Credit

Union, 37 N.C. App. 121, 124, 245 S.E.2d 798, 800 (1978)).

59. While the Court agrees that Defendants’ failure to timely comply with the

Expedited Discovery Order delayed Plaintiffs’ ability to timely discover and prosecute

their tortious interference claims, Plaintiffs will have an opportunity to prosecute

those claims consistent with the time deadlines set under the December 20, 2018

Amended Case Management Order. As such, and in light of the preference within

the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure for adjudicating claims on the merits,

the Court concludes, in the exercise of its discretion, that striking Defendants’ answer

or otherwise denying Defendants the opportunity to defend against Plaintiffs’ tortious

interference claims is inappropriate in light of the circumstances of this case and

considering the sanctions otherwise provided herein.

III.

CONCLUSION

60. WHEREFORE, the Court, for the reasons stated herein and in the exercise

of its discretion, hereby GRANTS the Motion for Sanctions, GRANTS in part and

DENIES in part Plaintiffs’ requested sanctions, and ORDERS as follows:

a. As to Plaintiffs’ request for forensic discovery of Defendants’ devices and

data sources:

i. Plaintiffs shall be permitted to conduct a forensic examination

of all data sources used by Defendants after July 2017, including computers, mobile devices, USB drives, external

hard drives, e-mail accounts, and cloud-based storage

accounts—regardless of whether such data sources were

subject to the Return Protocol—for data and metadata related

to Defendants’ access and use of such data sources. Plaintiffs

shall not, however, be permitted to review substantive file

information contained on these data sources at this time.

ii. Within fourteen (14) days of the date of this Order, the parties

shall meet, confer, and file a proposed device discovery protocol

to implement the forensic examination ordered hereunder.

iii. The forensic examination shall be conducted by Plaintiffs’

forensic expert, Reliance Forensics.

iv. Plaintiffs shall bear the cost of the forensic examination

ordered hereunder, subject to later modification in the Court’s

discretion.12

b. As to Plaintiffs’ request for payment of its reasonable expenses,

including attorneys’ fees:

i. Defendants shall pay Plaintiffs their reasonable expenses,

including attorneys’ fees, incurred in obtaining this Order.

Such fees and expenses shall be limited to those incurred in (i)

12 Plaintiffs’ counsel indicated at the December 18 Hearing that Plaintiffs would agree to pay for the forensic examination Plaintiffs sought through the Motion. The Court thus orders Plaintiffs to initially bear this cost, although the Court will consider shifting the costs of this examination at a later date for good cause shown. prosecuting the Motion for Sanctions and (ii) seeking and

obtaining the Withheld Documents, including expenses

incurred in identifying documents responsive to the Expedited

Discovery Order, sending deficiency letters, engaging in meet

and confer discussions, and complying with the BCR 10.9

process.

ii. Plaintiffs may file a petition for payment of their reasonable

expenses, including attorneys’ fees, with supporting affidavits

and any other supporting material, no later than January 25,

2019. Defendants may file a response, with supporting

materials, if any, no later than February 8, 2019. The Court

will determine at a later date whether it will hold a hearing on

any such petition.

c. As to Plaintiffs’ request for an order preemptively striking Defendants’

answer to Plaintiffs’ newly asserted tortious interference claims,

Plaintiffs’ request is denied, and Defendants shall file their answer or

other responsive pleading in accordance with the requirements of the

North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure and the Business Court Rules. SO ORDERED, this the 11th day of January, 2019.13

/s/ Louis A. Bledsoe, III Louis A. Bledsoe, III Chief Business Court Judge

13 This Order and Opinion was originally filed under seal on January 11, 2019. This public version of the Order and Opinion is being filed on January 16, 2019. Because this public version of the Order and Opinion does not contain any substantive changes from the version filed under seal as to constitute an amendment, and to avoid confusion in the event of an appeal, the Court has elected to state the filing date of the public version of the Order and Opinion as January 11, 2019.