In re Google Assistant Privacy Litigation
- Beth Freeman
- 5:19-cv-04286
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In re Google Assistant Privacy Litigation: Judge Van Keulen granted a motion to seal specified discovery materials containing confidential Google Assistant business information.
The parties and the public’s access to specified court filings were affected. The order permits highlighted portions of a discovery letter brief and an exhibit containing confidential information about Google Assistant’s operation and related profits or losses to remain under seal.
What happened
In In re Google Assistant Privacy Litigation, the court considered an administrative request to seal materials connected to a discovery dispute.
The court allowed highlighted portions of a discovery letter brief and an exhibit to be filed under seal. The materials contained confidential information about Google Assistant’s operation and Google’s understanding of related profits or losses.
Judge Susan Van Keulen applied the lower “good cause” standard because the materials were submitted for a discovery-related motion, and she granted the motion for leave to file them under seal.
The detailed version
- In re Google Assistant Privacy Litigation · No. 5:19-cv-04286
- Beth Freeman
- July 26, 2022
Background
The court considered an administrative motion for permission to file under seal materials associated with a discovery dispute. Court records generally carry a strong presumption of public access. The required showing depends on how closely the records relate to the case’s underlying claims: records more than tangentially related to the merits generally require “compelling reasons,” while records not related or only tangentially related to the merits may be sealed for “good cause” under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c).
Court’s analysis
The court held that the “good cause” standard applied because the information was submitted in connection with a discovery-related motion. The court considered the motion to seal, the supporting declaration, and the filings in the case.
Disposition
The court granted the administrative motion for leave to file under seal. The sealed material consisted of highlighted portions of a July 15 discovery letter brief and highlighted portions of pages 31, 32–33, and 35 of its Exhibit A. The stated reasons for sealing were confidential and sensitive proprietary or commercial information about the operation of Google Assistant, as well as details of Google’s understanding of profits or losses associated with Google Assistant.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.