In response to these documents, Google has recently issued a statement, saying that the documents in question were not representative of the company’s standard practice, and that it takes its litigation hold policies seriously. However, the documents released by Epic Games clearly show that several Google employees had avoided or disregarded the company’s legal obligations with regards to the antitrust case. This raises some questions about the company’s commitment to its own policies and procedures.
The documents released by Epic Games contain a number of emails, memos, and other correspondence between Google employees suggesting that they had been instructed not to retain any documents or emails related to the antitrust case. This is despite the fact that Google’s legal department had issued a litigation hold to all employees, instructing them to retain all relevant documents and emails.
For example, one email sent by a Google employee to a colleague stated: “Please don’t store any docs or emails related to the Epic litigation. I don’t want this to be searchable.” This email was sent after the litigation hold had been issued, making it clear that the employee in question was aware of the legal obligations and still chose to disregard them.
This kind of behavior is highly concerning, especially in light of the fact that antitrust litigation often involves the exchange of large amounts of sensitive information. If a company is not following its own litigation hold policies, it can put itself at risk of inadvertently disclosing confidential information or losing important evidence in the case.
The danger of not following a litigation hold policy is also multiplied in an antitrust case, because the company in question is facing accusations from multiple sources. If the company does not adhere to the policy, it could find itself in a situation where it is unable to properly defend itself against the claims of the other parties.
The Epic Games documents also revealed that some Google employees had been instructed to delete any emails related to the antitrust case. This kind of behavior could be seen as obstruction of justice, and could result in sanctions from the court or even criminal charges.
Overall, the Epic Games documents show that Google did not adhere to its own litigation hold policies in the case of the antitrust lawsuit. This raises serious concerns about the company’s commitment to its own policies and procedures, and could have serious implications for its ability to defend itself in the case. It also raises questions about the integrity of the company’s legal department, and whether they are willing to abide by their own principles and procedures.
In conclusion, the Epic Games documents clearly demonstrate that Google failed to adhere to its own litigation hold policies in the antitrust case. This raises serious concerns about the integrity of the company’s legal department, and its commitment to its own policies and procedures. Google needs to take action to ensure that it is properly following its own internal procedures in order to defend itself properly in the case and ensure that sensitive information is not inadvertently disclosed.
