Richard N Billington, Q.C. Appointed Independent Supervising Solicitor by Federal Court

Mr. Justice Harrington of the Federal Court, sitting in Toronto, appointed Richard N. Billington, Q.C. to act on behalf of the Court in executing an Anton Piller Order.

The October 18, 2006 Order, granted to Schlumberger Canada Ltd. directed that Billington was to supervise the search for and seizure of evidence that was needed by the Plaintiff in respect to a breach of copyright case that it was bringing against a computer software design firm. The search resulted in the seizure of over nine terabytes of data, a massive amount by any standard. This represents the data that would be found on three hundred stacks of paper, each the size of Toronto’s CN Tower. As Independent Supervising Solicitor, Billington’s role has been to ensure that the Court’s directions were carried out, that the Defendant’s rights are protected, and that the analysis of data focuses only on relevant material, and that no privileged documentation is ever disclosed to the plaintiff. In this role, Billington worked closely with a major computer forensic group of one of the “Big Four” international accounting firms, directing their activities in carrying out the Court’s investigation and reporting to the Court. The case has subsequently resolved without necessity of going to trial.