Federal Trade Commission v. IQVIA Holdings Inc.

Background

IQVIA Holdings Inc. filed a letter motion asking the court to approve redactions to its answer and defenses in response to the Federal Trade Commission’s complaint concerning IQVIA’s proposed acquisition of Propel Media, Inc. IQVIA asked the court to seal the unredacted answer and permit a redacted version to remain on the public docket.

IQVIA stated that the redacted portions referred to information protected from disclosure under federal law and information produced during the Commission’s nonpublic investigation. IQVIA, Propel Media, and third parties had designated some of the information as confidential, asserting that disclosure could cause commercial or competitive harm. IQVIA also said some information belonged to third parties unaffiliated with the parties in the case.

Court’s Analysis

The court’s order addressed access to the answer, not the underlying dispute over the proposed acquisition. The motion argued that the answer was a “judicial document,” meaning a court filing relevant to the judicial process, but that the public-access interest was weaker as to information already designated confidential. IQVIA also argued that its proposed redactions were limited and consistent with confidential information already filed under seal in the Commission’s complaint.

Ruling

Judge Edgardo Ramos granted the request to seal the unredacted version of IQVIA’s answer and to maintain the redactions in the publicly available version. The order did not decide the merits of the Commission’s claims or the proposed acquisition.