Michele Metcalf v. Transperfect Global Inc.

Background

Plaintiffs Michele Metcalf and Hannah Lawson asked for permission to file under seal unredacted versions of their opposition to Defendant’s motion to dismiss the class action complaint, the declaration of Andrew C. White, and Exhibits 3, 4, and 6 to that declaration. They also asked to file redacted versions as the publicly available filings.

The parties were subject to a stipulated protective order. TransPerfect Translations International, Inc. had designated several materials as confidential under that order: a spreadsheet containing internal estimates of overtime pay allegedly due to selected employees; a retroactive payment letter to an employee; and wage statements, pay records, and email transmission logs of TransPerfect employees. The plaintiffs said these materials contained trade secrets or commercially sensitive business information, based on TransPerfect’s designations and representations.

Legal standard and request

The filing explained that judicial documents are generally presumed to be publicly accessible, but Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c) allows a court, for good cause, to require documents or information to be filed under seal. The plaintiffs argued that their request was narrowly tailored because it covered only materials designated confidential under the protective order and would redact their filings only as necessary to protect TransPerfect’s claimed business interests. They took no position on whether the designations were proper and reserved the right to challenge them under the protective order.

Ruling

The application was granted. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker authorized the redacted versions of the opposition, the White declaration, and Exhibits 3, 4, and 6 to serve as the public filings, and allowed the unredacted versions to be filed under seal. The opinion text does not provide a separate explanation beyond the application’s stated reasons and the court’s approval notation.