Opinion ID: 2623543
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Spoliation presumption

Text: Nevada law creates a rebuttable presumption that evidence willfully suppressed would be adverse if produced. [9] Generally, when relevant evidence is destroyed, a trier of fact may draw an adverse inference from the destruction. [10] However, whether the evidence was willfully suppressed or destroyed is highly factual in nature. Moreover, what sanctions to apply when evidence has not been preserved involves considerable discretion. This is not an area where an error is obvious or capable of being instantly perceived, which is precisely why such rulings in an arbitration proceeding are not subject to judicial review under common law or the UAA. Even if a court believes that an arbitrator has erred as a matter of law, the court cannot substitute its judgment for the arbitrator's or treat a motion to confirm or vacate an arbitration award as an appellate proceeding. In this case, the record does not indicate that the arbitrator found that evidence was willfully suppressed and concluded that the presumption had to be applied, but then simply ignored or paid no attention to the spoliation presumption. Instead, the award shows that the arbitrator considered and weighed all of the evidence, including the loss or destruction of the photographs, before determining that Ash's failure to retain the photographs was of little consequence. While the arbitrator's discussions of a six-month rule for preserving evidence and Ash's duty to preserve the photographs may have been erroneous, that error does not amount to a manifest disregard of the law.