Brown v. Whole Foods Market Group, Inc.
Filing
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ORDER granting 33 Plaintiff's Motion to File Under Seal. Document No. 37 shall remain under SEAL until otherwise ordered by this Court. Signed by Magistrate Judge David Keesler on 1/14/22. (mga)
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA
CHARLOTTE DIVISION
CASE NO. 3:20-CV-401-MOC-DCK
JOSHUA BROWN,
Plaintiff,
v.
WHOLE FOODS MARKET GROUP, INC.,
d/b/a WHOLE FOODS AT SHARON
SQUARE,
Defendant.
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ORDER
THIS MATTER IS BEFORE THE COURT on the “Plaintiff’s Motion To File Under
Seal” (Document No. 33) filed January 13, 2022. This motion has been referred to the undersigned
Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b), and immediate review is appropriate. Having
carefully considered the motion and the record, and noting Defendant’s consent, the undersigned
will grant the motion.
A party who seeks to seal any pleading must comply with the Local Rules of this Court.
Local Civil Rule (“LCvR”) 6.1 provides in relevant part as follows:
LCvR. 6.1
SEALED FILINGS AND PUBLIC ACCESS.
(a)
Scope of Rule. To further openness in civil case
proceedings, there is a presumption under applicable common law
and the First Amendment that materials filed in this Court will be
filed unsealed. This Rule governs any party’s request to seal, or
otherwise restrict public access to, any materials filed with the Court
or used in connection with judicial decision- making. As used in
this Rule, “materials” includes pleadings and documents of any
nature and in any medium or format.
(b)
Filing under Seal. No materials may be filed under seal
except by Court order, pursuant to a statute, or in accordance with a
previously entered Rule 26(e) protective order.
(c)
Motion to Seal or Otherwise Restrict Public Access. A
party’s request to file materials under seal must be made by formal
motion, separate from the motion or other pleading sought to be
sealed, pursuant to LCvR 7.1. Such motion must be filed
electronically under the designation “Motion to Seal.” The motion
must set forth:
(1)
A non-confidential description of the
material sought to be sealed;
(2)
A statement indicating why sealing is
necessary and why there are no alternatives to filing
under seal;
(3)
Unless permanent sealing is sought, a
statement indicating how long the party seeks to have
the material maintained under seal and how the
matter is to be handled upon unsealing; and
(4)
Supporting statutes, case law, or other
authority.
Local Rule 6.1. It appears that the requirements of Local Rule 6.1(c)(1) through (4) have been
adequately met.
By the instant motion, Plaintiff seeks to seal “Plaintiff’s Memorandum Of Law In
Opposition To Defendant’s Motion For Summary Judgment” (Document No. 37) because he
contends that the brief “contains direct quotes, references and describes the substantive content of
Whole Foods Market Group, Inc.’s [] General Information Guide [], which Defendant marked
‘confidential’ and produced pursuant to” the Protective Order entered in this case (Document No.
21). (Document No. 34, p. 1). Plaintiff’s motion to seal indicates that this confidential document,
which is quoted and referenced throughout his response brief to Defendant’s summary judgment
motion, “contains Defendant’s various policies, procedures, employee information, compensation
and benefits information, and other competitive and propriety information.” (Document No. 33,
p. 2). The undersigned notes that Plaintiff has already filed a redacted version of his response
brief. See (Document No. 35).
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Having considered the factors provided in Local Rule 6.1(c), the Court will grant the
motion to seal. Noting that the time for public response has not run to this motion, the Court will
consider any objection to this Order from non-parties as an objection to the motion, requiring no
additional burden for any non-party under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. See Local Rule
6.1(e).
IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED that “Plaintiff’s Motion To File Under Seal”
(Document No. 33) is GRANTED. Document No. 37 shall remain under SEAL until otherwise
ordered by this Court.
SO ORDERED.
Signed: January 14, 2022
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