Klein v. Meta Platforms, Inc.

Background

Plaintiffs and Meta Platforms, Inc. filed requests to seal portions of the first amended consolidated advertiser class action complaint, briefing on Meta’s motion to dismiss, and discovery letter briefs. The materials included documents produced in discovery that Meta had designated confidential under the case’s protective order. Under the local rule, Meta had to explain why its documents should be sealed and propose narrowly tailored redactions.

The court emphasized that court records are generally public and that the party seeking secrecy must provide specific facts showing that strong reasons for sealing outweigh the public’s interest in access. General claims of possible competitive or commercial harm, and a confidentiality designation under a protective order, were not enough by themselves.

Rulings on the Requested Redactions

The court granted in part Meta’s requests concerning the first amended complaint. It allowed sealing of language that expressly quoted specific contract terms in paragraphs 441, 449, 451–452, and 458; paragraphs 442–448, 450, 454–455, and 459–461; and paragraph 463 remained unsealed as specified in Exhibit A. For another group of requested redactions, the court allowed sealing of language in paragraphs 464–468, but denied sealing for the table of contents and paragraphs 10, 436–438, and 469–472.

For a third group of requested redactions in the amended complaint, the court allowed sealing of language in paragraph 510, but denied sealing for paragraphs 9, 500–502, 509, 511–524, 530–531, and 534–535. The court denied Meta’s request to seal information in paragraphs 440, 456, 463, 485–486, and 503 concerning advertising sales and revenues.

The court denied the sealing requests for the identified portions of Meta’s motion to dismiss and the advertiser plaintiffs’ opposition. It also denied the request concerning the April 21, 2022 discovery letter brief because Meta represented that it did not seek to have any portion of that document sealed. For the July 27, 2022 discovery letter brief, the court granted in part the request: employee email addresses could remain redacted, but employee names could not.

Required Filings and Disposition

The court directed the plaintiffs and Meta to file a revised redacted version of the amended complaint and discovery letter briefs, along with unredacted versions of the motion-to-dismiss briefing, on the court’s electronic filing system within seven court days. Judge James Donato therefore granted some sealing requests in part and denied others, as detailed in Exhibit A. This order concerned sealing and public access to filings rather than the merits of the underlying dispute.