Spectrum Dynamics Medical Limited v. General Electric Company
- Vernon Broderick
- 1:18-cv-11386
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Spectrum Dynamics v. General Electric, Judge Broderick granted defendants’ application and directed discussions about filing confidential materials in redacted form.
The order affected the defendants’ proposed filings, Spectrum Dynamics Medical Limited, and public access to the specified court materials.
What happened
Spectrum Dynamics Medical Limited’s case against General Electric Company and others included defendants’ request to file a sur-reply opposing a preliminary-injunction motion, a supporting declaration, and Exhibits 442 through 449 under seal. Defendants said these materials contained confidential or highly confidential information.
The court granted the application. It directed defendants to follow the court’s filing rules and meet with Spectrum Dynamics as necessary to determine whether the materials could instead be filed on the public docket in redacted form. The order cited the need to protect competitively sensitive and proprietary business information.
Judge Vernon S. Broderick entered the order on January 6, 2022.
The detailed version
- Spectrum Dynamics Medical Limited v. General Electric Company · No. 1:18-cv-11386
- Vernon Broderick
- Jan. 6, 2022
Background
Defendants requested permission to file under seal their sur-reply opposing Spectrum Dynamics Medical Limited’s motion for a preliminary injunction, the supporting declaration of Marla R. Butler, and Exhibits 442 through 449. They stated that the materials contained information designated “Highly Confidential” or “Confidential” under the parties’ stipulated confidentiality and protective order.
Request and reasoning
Defendants argued that the materials referred to competitively sensitive and proprietary information belonging to one or both parties and that disclosure could create a substantial risk of harm. Their letter cited the general presumption that judicial documents should be publicly accessible, while arguing that protection may be justified when disclosure could cause competitive injury or reveal proprietary business information.
Ruling
Judge Vernon S. Broderick granted the application. He directed defendants to follow Rule 5.B of his Individual Rules and Practices in Civil Cases and to meet with Spectrum Dynamics as necessary to determine whether the sur-reply, supporting materials, and related exhibits could be filed on the public electronic docket in redacted form. The order did not decide the underlying motion for a preliminary injunction.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.