Releasing a custodian ends preservation for one user in one matter. Closing a matter ends preservation for every custodian in it. Both actions remove the legal hold backup set from the affected devices, and both begin the permanent deletion of the data that set was preserving.
This article covers both actions, what they destroy, and how to reverse them while that is still possible.
Releasing a custodian or closing a matter permanently deletes preserved data. Deletion completes at the next archive maintenance, which runs approximately every 60 days. The console does not show when archive maintenance last ran, so there is no way to determine how long the data will remain. Treat both actions as permanent.
What happens when a hold ends
Releasing a custodian removes the legal hold backup set from every device belonging to that user. Closing a matter releases all of its custodians, so it has the same effect on each of them.
Three things follow. All of them complete at the next archive maintenance.
- The legal hold backup set is removed. Files preserved only by that set are permanently deleted. Files that another backup set or another matter also covers are retained.
- The custodian's original retention settings resume. Version history kept only because the preservation policy required it is pruned back to the custodian's ordinary retention. This affects files the custodian was backing up anyway.
- Archives move to cold storage if the custodian changed organizations. Archives on destinations the custodian's current organization does not offer move to cold storage and are retained for that organization's cold storage period.
The confirmation message shown when releasing a custodian or closing a matter describes the first effect only. The second and third are not mentioned there.
The second effect is the one most easily missed. A preservation policy that keeps deleted files indefinitely, released against a standard policy that purges them after 90 days, removes version history from files that were never exclusive to the legal hold. For how retention precedence works while a hold is active, see How legal hold works.
For the third effect, see Cold storage. A custodian who was moved between organizations at any point during the matter is affected, and the console gives no indication of this at the moment of release.
Before you release a custodian or close a matter
Confirm each of the following before ending a legal hold. After archive maintenance runs, none of them can be revisited.
- Every file the matter requires has been collected. See Collect files from a legal hold.
- Your legal team has confirmed the matter is complete and the preservation obligation has ended.
- You know whether any custodian was moved between organizations during the matter, because their archives move to cold storage on release.
- You know which custodians are on more than one matter. Their data remains preserved by the other matter, so releasing them here has a smaller effect than releasing a custodian held by one matter alone.
Release a custodian
Releasing a custodian ends preservation for that user in this matter. This procedure requires the Org Legal Admin or Cross Org Legal Admin role.
- Sign in to the CrashPlan console.
- Select Legal Hold > Matters.
- Select the matter that includes the custodian.
- Select Custodians.
- Move the cursor over the custodian you want to release.
The release icon appears at the end of the row. - Select the Release icon.
The confirmation message reads: "When you release a custodian, all data backed up for this matter is deleted during regularly-scheduled maintenance. If custodians have data on hold for separate matters, data for those matters is unaffected. Are you sure you want to release this custodian?" - Select Yes, Release.
The custodian's status changes to Released.
Close a matter
Closing a matter releases every custodian in it. Review the list of custodians before closing.
- Sign in to the CrashPlan console.
- Select Legal Hold > Matters.
- Select Close for the matter in the All Matters list, or open the matter and select Close from its action menu.
The confirmation message reads: "When you close a matter, all custodians are released from the hold. Data preserved for this matter will be deleted during regularly-scheduled maintenance. Are you sure you want to close this matter?" - Select Yes, Close.
The matter's status changes to Closed, and every custodian in it is released.
Reactivate a custodian
Reactivating a custodian before archive maintenance runs preserves the data and the version history that release would otherwise remove. Reactivating afterwards does not recover anything already deleted or pruned. In that case the preservation policy's selection is backed up again from the custodian's devices, and any version history that existed before the release is gone.
- Sign in to the CrashPlan console.
- Select Legal Hold > Matters.
- Select the matter that includes the custodian.
- Select Custodians.
- From Choose status, select Released.
- Move the cursor over the custodian you want to reactivate.
The reactivate icon appears at the end of the row. - Select the Reactivate icon.
The custodian and all devices associated with this user account are reactivated immediately.
Reactivate a matter
- Sign in to the CrashPlan console.
- Select Legal Hold > Matters.
- From Choose status, select Closed.
- Select the matter you want to reactivate.
- From the action menu, select Reactivate.
The matter's status returns to Active and its custodians are reactivated.
After a hold ends
A custodian who was selected for deactivation while on legal hold was blocked instead. Releasing them completes that deactivation automatically, with no further action required.
A custodian who was blocked directly, without a deactivation being attempted, stays blocked after release. Unblock them if they still require access, or deactivate them if their account is no longer needed. See Block, deauthorize, and deactivate users and devices.
The release and closure of a matter are recorded on the matter's Activity screen. See View legal hold activity.
If a release did not produce the result you expected, see Troubleshoot legal hold.
To place a user back under preservation in a new matter, see Create a legal hold matter and add custodians. For the fields on each screen, see Legal Hold reference.