legal hold [English]
Syndetic Relationships
- SF: hold order
InterPARES Definition
n. ~ A directive issued to individuals who may have custody of records relevant to potential litigation, investigation, or audit that suspends routine destruction of records otherwise allowed under an approved records retention schedule.
General Notes
Also called a hold order or preservation order.
Other Definitions
- Black's 9th 2009 (†382 s.v. litigation hold): A notice issued in anticipation of a lawsuit or investigation, ordering employees to preserve documents and other materials relevant to that lawsuit or investigation.
- Wikipedia (†387 s.v. legal hold): A process that an organization uses to preserve all forms of relevant information when litigation is reasonably anticipated. The legal hold is initiated by a notice or communication from legal counsel to an organization that suspends the normal disposition or processing of records, such as backup tape recycling, archived media and other storage and management of documents and information. A legal hold will be issued as a result of current or anticipated litigation, audit, government investigation or other such matter to avoid evidence spoliation. Legal holds can encompass business procedures affecting active data, including, but not limited to, backup tape recycling.