Special Master

Resolving Discovery Disputes through Special Master Appointments

Mr. Betts has been qualified by the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania to serve on the Court’s roster of approved ADR neutrals for resolving discovery- related disputes, including disputes relating to the discovery of electronically stored information (“ESI”).  Information about the Court’s Special Master and other programs that have been implemented to address ESI discovery issues may be found here.

Mr. Betts has been appointed by judges of the Court to serve as Special Master to address a wide variety of discovery disputes involving, for example, the propriety of certain objections made by counsel during depositions, the acceptable manner and format for producing ESI, whether parties have made a reasonably diligent search for ESI and other documents responsive to discovery requests, and whether an independent forensic expert should be appointed to search for ESI on a party’s computers. In serving in this role, Mr. Betts draws on his more than forty years of experience in handling hundreds of litigation matters that have involved discovery issues.