CrossBorder Solutions v. Macias

Background

The plaintiffs—CrossBorder Solutions, Inc. n/k/a Exactera Inc. and Cross Border Transactions, LLC d/b/a CrossBorder Solutions n/k/a Exactera LLC—asked for permission to file certain materials under seal. The request concerned amendments to the plaintiffs’ partial summary-judgment motion, the January 19, 2024 declaration of Stephanie Israel, and seven exhibits to that declaration.

The requested materials included internal spreadsheets and email communications containing information about the plaintiffs’ clients, contract pricing, client renewals, profits, costs, and financial analyses. They also included information concerning the trade-secret Master List at issue in the case and the damages the plaintiffs claimed resulted from its theft. The materials were marked highly confidential under the parties’ confidentiality agreement and protective order. Counsel for Macias, Gini & O’Connell, LLP and Sanjay Agarwal consented to the request.

Legal standard

The plaintiffs cited the general presumption that the public may access judicial documents—documents relevant to the court’s work and useful in the judicial process. They argued that the parties’ privacy and confidentiality interests outweighed that presumption. The request also relied on the court’s earlier decisions allowing the plaintiffs to seal similar information about clients, contracts, renewal rates, the trade-secret Master List, and claimed damages.

Ruling

The court granted the plaintiffs’ request to file the identified documents under seal. It directed the clerk to place ECF Nos. 317, 318, and 318-1 through 318-7 under seal, accessible only to the court and the parties. The court also directed the clerk to terminate the motion at ECF No. 352. This order addressed access to documents; the provided text does not decide the underlying claims or the partial-summary-judgment motion.