Nexstar Media Inc. v. Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
- John Koeltl
- 1:21-cv-06860
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Nexstar Media v. Comcast, Judge Koeltl granted Nexstar’s application to permanently seal confidential filings and exhibits concerning retransmission-agreement negotiations.
Nexstar Media Inc. and Comcast Cable Communications, LLC are directly affected because specified unredacted filings and exhibits concerning their agreement and negotiations were permanently sealed from public access.
What happened
Nexstar Media Inc. asked the court to permanently seal unredacted versions of Comcast Cable Communications, LLC’s opposition memorandum and several supporting exhibits. The materials discussed a confidential retransmission-consent agreement and negotiations between Nexstar and Comcast.
Nexstar argued that the documents contained commercially sensitive pricing and other contract terms. It said disclosure could harm the parties’ competitive positions and future negotiations, and noted that related correspondence had already been sealed.
Judge Koeltl granted Nexstar’s application. The ruling permanently sealed the unredacted opposition memorandum and Exhibits 1–4 and 6 to the supporting declaration.
The detailed version
- Nexstar Media Inc. v. Comcast Cable Communications, LLC · No. 1:21-cv-06860
- John Koeltl
- Aug. 2, 2022
Background
Nexstar Media Inc., the plaintiff and counterclaim defendant, asked the court to permanently seal confidential material in the unredacted versions of Comcast Cable Communications, LLC’s omnibus opposition to motions to dismiss Comcast’s counterclaim and third-party complaint. Nexstar also sought to seal Exhibits 1–4 and 6 to a declaration supporting Comcast’s opposition. The materials had been filed temporarily under seal.
The application concerned correspondence and discussions about a retransmission-consent agreement between Nexstar and Comcast. Nexstar described the agreement’s pricing and other terms, as well as the related negotiations, as commercially sensitive. Nexstar argued that disclosure could harm its future negotiations with cable companies. The application also stated that the court had previously permanently sealed related correspondence and references to it.
Ruling
The court granted Nexstar’s application to permanently seal the unredacted opposition memorandum and Exhibits 1–4 and 6 to the supporting declaration. Sealing prevents the public from accessing those specified unredacted materials on the court docket. The provided text does not include a separate explanation from the court beyond the granted-application notation; the stated justification was protection of confidential business information and competitive standing.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.