Environmental activist may have destroyed essential documents

If files central to a lawsuit go missing or are destroyed, the results could be disastrous. Not only could guilty parties go unpunished, but the implications for case law in the future could be damaged. Hopefully, that won't be the case in Pennsylvania, where a local environmental activist is being accused of destroying data that could have proven useful in a suit.

According to the Valley News Dispatch, nuclear waste company Babcock & Wilcox is accusing activist Patty Ameno of discarding evidence she claimed would have proven her allegations that the business was causing cancer in local residents. A motion filed recently by the corporation says Ameno hasn't presented necessary documentation.

The Dispatch noted that the litigation is currently in the discovery phase, meaning that sharing files between the parties is very important at this time.

When tangible files are requested by the court, judges may order that all files be immediately moved to computers via conversion services. That way, court officials, opposing counsel and others involved in the case could access records without the possibility of destroying the files.

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