June 15, 2011 - A California judge ruled that jurors will not be informed by the court that Rambus' opponents have already proven that Rambus shredded documents as patent infringement litigation loomed. Instead, Micron and Hynix will have to present evidence that the shredding of hundreds of boxes of documents was a deliberate part of the company's legal strategy.
Just last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) ruled that Rambus was wrong to shred the documents.
"It is undisputed that Rambus destroyed between 9,000 and 18,000 pounds of documents in 300 boxes," wrote the appeals court in its majority opinion in the Micron case. The documents were relevant to two patent infringement cases Rambus filed.
Micron and Hynix point to the CAFC ruling as evidence that Rambus acted in bad faith and had a duty to preserve documents in anticipation of litigation.