Hi Lady Liberty,
Point taken. I haven't gone back to try and find the thread(s) about the "big October announcement", but my recollection was that it would be an announcement by the Society.
Blondie, you are correct. If records at the local congregation level are/were destroyed, it is the local Elders whose butts would be on the line, and we can probably figure that Headquarters would do their best to leave the locals to hang out twisting in the wind. I don't know the answer to this - just what ARE the sanctions a trial court could impose upon the guilty parties, supposing it was proven that some of the defendants in a particular case or cases deliberately destroyed records that had been subpoenaed for discovery/depositions? If the "remedy" is limited to monetary sanctions against the particular offending parties (i.e., the local Elders), then the plaintiffs wouldn't have much recourse, would they, unless the particular Elders happened to be very wealthy. Not very likely!
This being the most likely scenario in the majority of the pending law suits, it would behoove the WTBTS to verbally imply to those lower down the totem-pole to go ahead and destroy the records, figuring that the local Elders would be stupid enough to do so. Even if the local Elders subsequently said "But we did it on ORDERS FROM NEW YORK" - the WTBTS would be certain to maintain plausible deniability. No paper trail, no proof. Not unless someone in the upper eschelons has a "crisis of conscience."
God, I'm getting depressed just thinking about this stuff.