Select Research Ltd. v. Amazon.Com, Inc.
- Jesse Furman
- 1:24-cv-06419
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Select Research v. Amazon, Judge Furman temporarily sealed Exhibit 2 and required justification for keeping it from public view.
Select Research, Amazon.com, Inc., Amazon.com Services, LLC, and the public’s access to Exhibit 2.
What happened
In Select Research, Ltd. v. Amazon.com, Inc., Amazon asked the court to temporarily seal Exhibit 2 while Select Research considered whether to seek continued sealing. Amazon disputed that the exhibit contained confidential information.
The court granted the motion to seal temporarily. It stated that the parties’ agreement alone was not enough to keep a judicial document sealed or redacted because judicial documents generally carry a presumption of public access.
Judge Jesse M. Furman directed any party seeking continued sealing or redaction to file a letter brief within three days, limited to three pages, explaining why it was justified. If neither party filed a motion to seal by October 21, 2024, Amazon had to file Exhibit 2 publicly by October 24, 2024.
The detailed version
- Select Research Ltd. v. Amazon.Com, Inc. · No. 1:24-cv-06419
- Jesse Furman
- Oct. 16, 2024
Background
Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon.com Services, LLC asked the court to provisionally seal Exhibit 2 to a declaration supporting their request for a letter seeking international assistance with evidence under the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters. Select Research had previously filed the exhibit in an earlier related action and had asked that it be sealed, claiming that it contained highly confidential business information. Amazon disputed that the exhibit contained confidential information and reserved the right to challenge any confidentiality claim.
Temporary Sealing
The court granted the motion to seal temporarily. The court explained that an agreement between the parties to keep a document confidential is not, by itself, enough to seal or redact a judicial document. Judicial documents are subject to a presumption of public access.
Required Filing and Disposition
The court directed that any party seeking to keep the materials sealed or redacted must file a letter brief within three days, no longer than three pages, explaining why continued sealing or redaction was consistent with the presumption of public access. If neither party filed a motion to seal by October 21, 2024, Amazon was required to file Exhibit 2 on the public docket by October 24, 2024. The Clerk of Court was directed to terminate ECF No. 18.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.