New York City agency fined for poor document management

A surprising victim of poor information management, New York City's Law Department was recently charged with failing to produce proper documents related to the incarceration of former Rikers Island inmate Kadeem John. A $10,000 fine was imposed as the city failed to produce documents needed for a lawsuit filed by John, according to the New York World.

John is suing the city for negligence related to inmate-on-inmate violence in its penal system.

The failure on the part of the city's Law Department to produce the paperwork can be labeled as an issue with its document management solution. According to the court, the Law Department has failed to comply with numerous discovery requests.

"The time has long passed for defendants to be conducting searches for relevant documents which should have been turned over to [the] plaintiff months ago," the judge said, according to the news source.

To avoid issues like this, any organization – from legal teams to regular businesses – can invest in high-quality document management systems. Helping keep records organized and ensuring compliance with legal and financial regulations, these solutions provide numerous benefits.

In addition to reducing the risk of fines due to an inability to find paperwork, by implementing such services an organization can also increase productivity and see other benefits as well. Improved document management allows a business to become more efficient and reduce the amount of paperwork it deals with regularly, in addition to helping protect the environment. Full conversion services will help the business go entirely paperless even – a cost-reduction, operational benefit that is growing in popularity.

Ultimately, planning and preparation are key to keeping information organized and reducing the risk of non-compliance. However, with document management, any organization can improve its preparation and maximize these advantages.

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