Calhoun v. Google LLC
- Yvonne Rogers
- 4:20-cv-05146
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In Calhoun v. Google LLC, Judge Van Keulen granted Google’s motion to seal specified discovery materials containing technical and personal information.
Google LLC, the plaintiffs, and members of the public seeking access to the specified court materials.
What happened
In Calhoun v. Google LLC, Google asked the court to keep certain materials connected to discovery disputes from public view. The materials were submitted with a special master submission rather than with a motion addressing the case’s merits.
The court applied the lower “good cause” standard because the materials concerned discovery. It granted sealing for Exhibit A and for specified portions of Exhibit B containing confidential information about Google’s internal systems and operations and personal information about the plaintiffs.
Judge Susan Van Keulen entered the order on December 7, 2021. The order addressed only public access to the listed materials and did not decide the underlying claims.
The detailed version
- Calhoun v. Google LLC · No. 4:20-cv-05146
- Yvonne Rogers
- Dec. 7, 2021
Background
Google filed an administrative motion to seal materials associated with discovery disputes. The materials were submitted to the court in connection with a special master submission.
Legal standard
The court explained that judicial records generally carry a strong presumption of public access. The required showing depends on how closely the records relate to the merits of the case. Because these materials concerned discovery-related motions rather than the merits, the court applied the lower “good cause” standard under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c). The court also noted that sealing requests must comply with Civil Local Rule 79-5.
Ruling
The court ordered the following:
- Exhibit A to the Golueke Declaration: Sealing was granted. The court found the sealing narrowly tailored to protect confidential technical information about sensitive features of Google’s internal systems and operations, including data sources, data logs, internal data structures, internal identifiers, and proprietary functions. - Exhibit B to the Golueke Declaration: Sealing was granted as to portions highlighted in yellow on pages 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, and 20. The court found those portions narrowly tailored to protect confidential technical information about Google’s internal systems and operations. - Exhibit B to the Golueke Declaration: Sealing was also granted as to portions highlighted in blue on pages 1 through 20 because those portions contain personal information regarding the plaintiffs.
The order did not state that all other portions of Exhibit B were sealed, and it did not resolve the underlying dispute between the parties. Judge Susan Van Keulen signed the order.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.