Opinion ID: 2981784
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Obligation to preserve

Text: The district court did not err in concluding that Byrd had an obligation to preserve the stove top. “An obligation to preserve may arise when a party should have known that the evidence may be relevant to future litigation . . . .” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). As the district court explained: It is undisputed that [Byrd] turned over the oven and caused the glass top range to shatter after he filed a claim with his insurer and was visited by its adjuster, Mr. Palmer. While the precise contents of Mr. Palmer’s instructions to [Byrd] during his visit are disputed, [Byrd] does admit that Mr. Palmer told him that [Alpha Alliance] might send someone out to examine the fire damage to his home, particularly to the oven. Thus, at that time, [Byrd] knew, at the very least, that, in the course of investigating his claim, [Alpha Alliance] was interested in a particular piece of evidence (his oven), and that there was a possibility that [Alpha Alliance] might send someone to his residence to examine it. Moreover, [Byrd] himself was aware of the oven’s importance in determining the fire’s cause, as he had previously observed that the flames were centered on the oven when he entered the kitchen during the fire. Indeed, he claims that his own “investigation” of the source of the fire was centered on the stove. The court finds that a reasonable insured acting under similar circumstances would have known that the oven may be particularly relevant to future litigation arising out of the fire loss claim. 6 No. 12-5400 Byrd v. Alpha Alliance Insur. Corp. Byrd argues that the specifics of the conversation with Palmer are disputed, and he denies that Palmer told him not to touch anything. But this argument, assuming its validity, does not destroy the district court’s analysis. The district court acknowledged that the precise contents of Palmer’s instructions to Byrd were unknown. More important, Byrd acknowledges that Palmer notified Byrd that Alpha Alliance might be sending someone to the home to investigate the source of the fire. And Byrd knew the fire centered at the stove. Because Byrd knew Alpha Alliance would likely send someone to examine the stove as a possible source of the fire, he knew the stove had legal relevance to his fire-loss claim. Whether Byrd in fact knew that the oven had legal relevance is beside the point. We apply an objective, not subjective standard. Because Byrd “should have known that the evidence may be relevant to future litigation,” Beaven, 622 F.3d at 553 (emphasis added), the first element of spoliation is met.