Venture Group Enterprises, Inc. v. Vonage Business Inc.

Background

Venture Group Enterprises, Inc. (“Venture”) submitted a letter concerning documents that Vonage Business Inc. (“Vonage”) filed under seal in connection with Vonage’s motion for summary judgment and its Daubert motion, which concerns the admissibility of expert evidence. The documents included specified exhibits attached to a declaration by David J. Fiocciola. The letter also referred to earlier sealing requests involving some of the same documents and issues, including requests pending before Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang.

Venture’s position

Venture asked that the documents remain under seal. It did not oppose sealing Exhibit 44, but argued that other exhibits contained confidential agreements and business information involving Venture’s vendors, customers, prior business partners, personnel, business network, sales and negotiation practices, coaching and training, and quality-control processes. Venture also asserted that the documents contained personal identifying information about people and entities. According to Venture, public disclosure could place it at a competitive disadvantage, reveal financial and negotiation information, and harm its existing and future business relationships.

Ruling

Judge Ronnie Abrams did not decide the underlying sealing requests in the text provided. Instead, the order states that, because of the overlap between the documents at issue and pending sealing requests concerning a sanctions motion before Judge Wang, the parties “shall address” the issues in docket entries 158 and 173 to Judge Wang, who would address them at her convenience. The ruling was therefore a procedural direction concerning which judge would handle the sealing issues, not a decision granting or denying the requests to seal.