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Aleris Rolled Prods., Inc. v. Sundwig

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO
Jul 21, 2020
CASE NO. 1:20-cv-281 (N.D. Ohio Jul. 21, 2020)

Opinion

CASE NO. 1:20-cv-281

07-21-2020

ALERIS ROLLED PRODUCTS, INC. Plaintiff, v. ANDRITZ SUNDWIG GMBH, et al., Defendants.


OPINION & ORDER
[Resolving Doc. 25] :

The parties in this litigation jointly propose a protective order to limit public disclosure of information they indicate as confidential.

Doc. 25.

Granting a protective order is within the trial court's discretion, but that discretion "'is circumscribed by a long-established legal tradition' which values public access to court proceedings." Unwarranted restriction of court documents hampers the public's ability to act as an important check on judicial integrity. Thus, courts in the Sixth Circuit approach protective orders with a strong presumption in favor of public access to judicial records.

Procter & Gamble Co. v. Bankers Trust Co., 78 F.3d 219, 227 (6th Cir. 1996) (quoting Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. v. Fed. Trade Comm'n, 710 F.2d 1165, 1177 (6th Cir. 1983)).

See Brown & Williamson, 710 F.2d at 1179; see also Wilson v. Am. Motors Corp., 759 F.2d 1568, 1570 (11th Cir. 1985) (observing that "trials are public proceedings" and that access to court records preserves "the rights of the public, an absent third party").

Brown & Williamson, 710 F.2d at 1179; see, e.g., Rudd Equip. Co., Inc. v. John Deere Constr. & Forestry Co., 834 F.3d 589, 593 (6th Cir. 2016); In re Perrigo Co., 128 F.3d 430, 446-47 (6th Cir. 1997) (J. Moore, concurring in part and dissenting in part).

The fact that the parties jointly seek a protective order does not overcome this presumption.

See Proctor & Gamble Co., 78 F.3d at 227 (warning district courts against "abdicat[ing their] responsibility to oversee the discovery process and to determine whether filings should be made available to the public" and against "turn[ing] this function over to the parties," which would be "a violation not only of Rule 26(c) but of the principles so painstakingly discussed in Brown & Williamson").

Movants for a protective order must show substantial personal or financial harm before the Court will seal any documents. Here, the parties fail to meet that standard. The proposed protective order is overbroad and unspecific. The parties have asked the Court for blanket authority to designate information as "Confidential" and to file such documents under seal. The proposed order would allow overbroad discretion, limited only by a promise to make a good faith determination that the documents contain certain information protected from disclosure.

See, e.g., Brown & Williamson, 710 F.2d at 1179-80; Sollitt v. KeyCorp, 2009 WL 485031, at *2 (N.D. Ohio Feb. 26, 2009).

Doc. 25.

Id. --------

The parties are, of course, free to privately contract to limit disclosure of documents and information. Additionally, any party or non-party may move to seal individual documents—provided that they make the requisite particularized showing.

The Court thus DENIES the parties' proposed protective order.

IT IS SO ORDERED. Dated: July 21, 2020

s/ James S. Gwin

JAMES S. GWIN

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE


Summaries of

Aleris Rolled Prods., Inc. v. Sundwig

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO
Jul 21, 2020
CASE NO. 1:20-cv-281 (N.D. Ohio Jul. 21, 2020)
Case details for

Aleris Rolled Prods., Inc. v. Sundwig

Case Details

Full title:ALERIS ROLLED PRODUCTS, INC. Plaintiff, v. ANDRITZ SUNDWIG GMBH, et al.…

Court:UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO

Date published: Jul 21, 2020

Citations

CASE NO. 1:20-cv-281 (N.D. Ohio Jul. 21, 2020)