`
`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
`ALEXANDRIA DIVISION
`
`RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. and
`R.J. REYNOLDS VAPOR COMPANY,
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`Plaintiffs and Counterclaim Defendants,
`
`
`
`v.
`
`ALTRIA CLIENT SERVICES LLC; PHILIP
`MORRIS USA INC.; and PHILIP MORRIS
`PRODUCTS S.A.,
`
`Defendants and Counterclaim Plaintiffs.
`
`Case No. 1:20-cv-00393-LO-TCB
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`ORDER GRANTING REYNOLDS’S MOTION TO SEAL
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`This matter is before the Court on (cid:51)(cid:79)(cid:68)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:73)(cid:73)(cid:86)(cid:3) RAI Strategic Holdings, Inc. and R.J.
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`Reynolds Vapor Company(cid:10)(cid:86)
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`(collectively,
`
`“Reynolds”) (cid:80)(cid:82)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:3)
`
`(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:3)
`
`(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:3)
`
`(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)
`
`(cid:68)(cid:70)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:92)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:3) (cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:80)(cid:17)(cid:3) (cid:11)(cid:39)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3) (cid:27)(cid:25)(cid:27)(cid:15)(cid:3) (cid:27)(cid:26)(cid:20)(cid:17)(cid:12)(cid:3) Reynolds(cid:3) (cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:78)(cid:86)(cid:3) (cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:3) (cid:73)(cid:76)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:3) (cid:88)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3) (cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:3) (cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:86)(cid:3)
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`Memorandum in Support of Motion in Limine No. 11 and accompanying Exhibits 4-7 (cid:11)(cid:39)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:27)(cid:26)(cid:19)(cid:12)(cid:3)
`
`pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2(d) and Local Civil Rule 5(C).
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`Before this Court may seal documents, it must: “(1) provide public notice of the request
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`to seal and allow interested parties a reasonable opportunity to object, (2) consider less
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`drastic alternatives to sealing the documents, and (3) provide specific reasons and factual
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`findings supporting its decision to seal the documents and for rejecting the alternatives.”
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`Ashcraft v. Conoco, Inc., 218 F.3d 282, 288 (4th Cir. 2000) (internal citations omitted). Upon
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`consideration of Reynolds’s motion to seal and its memorandum in support thereof, the Court
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`hereby FINDS as follows:
`
`1
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`
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`Case 1:20-cv-00393-LO-TCB Document 936 Filed 01/31/22 Page 2 of 4 PageID# 26161
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`1.
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`The public has received notice of the request to seal and has had reasonable
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`opportunity to object. Reynolds’s sealing motion was publicly docketed in accordance with Local
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`Civil Rule 5. PM/Altria has had an opportunity to respond. The “public has had ample opportunity
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`to object” to Reynolds’s motion and, because “the Court has received no objections,” the first
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`requirement under Ashcraft, 218 F.3d at 302, has been satisfied. GTSI Corp. v. Wildflower Int’l,
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`Inc., No. 1:09-cv-123-JCC, 2009 WL 1248114, at *9 (E.D. Va. Apr. 30, 2009); U.S. ex rel. Carter
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`v. Halliburton Co., No. 1:10-cv-864-JCC/TCB, 2011 WL 2077799, at *3 (E.D. Va. May 24, 2011)
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`(“[T]he parties provided public notice of the request to seal that allowed interested parties a
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`reasonable opportunity to object—nearly two weeks.”).
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`2.
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`Reynolds seeks to seal and redact from the public record only information
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`designated by the parties as confidential. Reynolds has filed publicly redacted versions of
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`Reynolds’s Memorandum in Support of Motion in Limine No. 11 and accompanying Exhibits 4-
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`7, in addition to a sealed version, and have redacted only those limited portions it seeks to seal.
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`This selective and narrow protection of confidential material constitutes the least drastic method
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`of shielding the information at issue. Adams v. Object Innovation, Inc., No. 3:11-cv-272-REP-
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`DWD, 2011 WL 7042224, at *4 (E.D. Va. Dec. 5, 2011) (The “proposal to redact only the
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`proprietary and confidential information, rather than seal the entirety of his declaration, constitutes
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`the least drastic method of shielding the information at issue.”). The public has no legitimate
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`interest in information that is confidential to Reynolds. The information that Reynolds seeks to
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`seal includes confidential, proprietary, and competitively sensitive business information of
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`Reynolds and PM/Altria, each of which could face harm if such information were to be released
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`publicly. Specifically, the sensitive information that Reynolds moves for leave to file under seal
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`and to redact from the public version relates to proprietary and commercially sensitive materials
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`
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`Case 1:20-cv-00393-LO-TCB Document 936 Filed 01/31/22 Page 3 of 4 PageID# 26162
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`from Reynolds and PM/Altria, such as such as confidential correspondence between counsel and
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`confidential business information regarding Reynolds’s VUSE products.
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`3.(cid:3)
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`There is support for filing Reynolds’s Memorandum in Support of Motion in(cid:3)
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`Limine No. 11 and accompanying Exhibits 4-7 under seal. Reynolds’s Memorandum in Support
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`of Motion in Limine No. 11 and accompanying Exhibits 4-7 contain material that falls within the
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`scope of the stipulated protective order. Placing these materials under seal is proper because the
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`public’s interest in access is outweighed by a party’s interest in “preserving confidentiality” of the
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`limited amount of confidential information that is “normally unavailable to the public.” Flexible
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`Benefits Council v. Feltman, No. 1:08-cv-00371-JCC, 2008 WL 4924711, at *1 (E.D. Va. Nov.
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`13, 2008) ; U.S. ex rel. Carter, 2011 WL 2077799, at *3.
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`Therefore, based on the findings above, for good cause shown, it is hereby
`
`(cid:3)
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`ORDERED that the motion(cid:3) (cid:11)(cid:39)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:27)(cid:25)(cid:27)(cid:12) is GRANTED, and Reynolds is granted
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`leave to file a REDACTED version of Reynolds’s Memorandum in Support of Motion in
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`Limine No. 11 and accompanying Exhibits 4-7(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:39)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:27)(cid:26)(cid:23)(cid:12).
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`And to file UNDER SEAL an un-redacted version of Reynolds’s Memorandum in Support
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`of Motion in Limine No. 11 and accompanying Exhibits 4-7. (cid:11)(cid:39)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:27)(cid:26)(cid:19)(cid:17)(cid:12)(cid:3)
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`And it is FURTHER ORDERED that the un-redacted version of Reynolds’s Memorandum
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`in Support of Motion in Limine No. 11 and accompanying Exhibits 4-7 shall remain SEALED
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`until further order of the Court.
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`
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`Case 1:20-cv-00393-LO-TCB Document 936 Filed 01/31/22 Page 4 of 4 PageID# 26163
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`ENTERED this (cid:22)(cid:20)(cid:86)(cid:87) day of (cid:45)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:92), 2022.
`
`/s/
`__________________________________________
`THERESA CARROLL BUCHANAN
`UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
`
`(cid:36)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:91)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:76)(cid:68)(cid:15)(cid:3)(cid:57)(cid:76)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:76)(cid:68)(cid:3)
`
`