This is more of an e-discovery story minus the “e,” but still interesting nonetheless.

From Leigh Jones at The National Law Journal:

What may have been a case of oversharing on the part of a DLA Piper associate has dragged the firm into court to defend a legal malpractice lawsuit.

A former client claimed in a complaint filed on Tuesday that DLA Piper unlawfully “rifled through” its files and disclosed confidential information to a third party, resulting in about $1.2 million in damages.

The client, George Sutton & Associates Inc., a San Diego software company, alleged that DLA Piper breached its fiduciary duty, unfairly charged more than $200,000 in legal fees and cost Sutton a $1 million business deal.

The complaint, filed in the San Diego County, Calif., Superior Court, also argued that an agreement requiring the company to take disputes with the law firm before the American Arbitration Association (AAA) is unfair because DLA Piper’s attorneys are affiliated with the arbitration company.

The company requested an injunction halting the AAA proceedings plus damages for legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty.