Thales Avionics, Inc. v. L3 Technologies, Inc.

Background

Thales Avionics, Inc. applied for permission to file three exhibits under seal and to file a redacted version of its reply supporting a motion for a preliminary injunction in aid of arbitration. The application concerned ECF Nos. 48 and 50.

Thales stated that Exhibits 1 and 2 had been produced as highly confidential documents, with disclosure limited to outside counsel. It said Exhibit 3 was a non-public document containing financial information about L3 Technologies’ avionics business and relating to L3’s efforts to sell that business. Thales also stated that L3 had previously maintained that the documents were protected by a confidentiality agreement between the parties’ parent companies.

Thales sought redactions in its reply for portions describing Exhibits 1 through 3 and information that L3 considered confidential and commercially sensitive. It noted that similar information in L3’s opposition had previously been allowed to be redacted. Thales said it did not object to public filing of the documents but asked for provisional sealing until L3 had an opportunity to address whether some or all of the documents should remain sealed.

Ruling

The court granted Thales’s application. The confidential documents were to remain under seal, and the clerk was directed to terminate ECF No. 47. The order is dated February 5, 2024, and was issued by United States Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky in the case assigned to Judge John Koeltl.

The ruling concerned public access to court filings and the protection of alleged business secrets, competitively sensitive information, and non-public financial information. It did not decide the underlying dispute or the request for a preliminary injunction.