`
`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
`ALEXANDRIA DIVISION
`
`RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. and
`R.J. REYNOLDS VAPOR COMPANY,
`
`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
`
`(cid:3)
`
`ORDER GRANTING PM/ALTRIA’S MOTION TO SEAL
`
`This matter is before the Court on the motion (Dkt. 920) filed by Philip Morris Products
`
`S.A., Phillip Morris USA Inc., and Altria Client Services, LLC (collectively, “PM/Altria”) to(cid:3)
`
`seal un-redacted versions of PM/Altria’s Brief in Support of PM/Altria’s Daubert Motion to
`
`Exclude Design-Around Testimony of Reynolds’s Expert, David Clissold and accompanying
`
`Exhibits 1-5, 9, and 10(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:39)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:28)(cid:21)(cid:21)(cid:12) pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2(d) and Local
`
`Civil Rule 5(C). Because the documents that PM/Altria seeks to seal contain confidential,
`
`proprietary, and competitively sensitive business, financial, and design information of the RAI
`
`Strategic Holdings, Inc., and R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company (collectively, “Reynolds”),
`
`Reynolds filed a memorandum in support of PM/Altria’s sealing request. (cid:11)(cid:39)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:28)(cid:21)(cid:28)(cid:17)(cid:12)
`
`Before this Court may seal documents, it must: “(1) provide public notice of the request
`
`to seal and allow interested parties a reasonable opportunity to object, (2) consider less drastic
`
`alternatives to sealing the documents, and (3) provide specific reasons and factual findings
`
`
`
`Case 1:20-cv-00393-LO-TCB Document 944 Filed 01/31/22 Page 2 of 5 PageID# 26195
`
`supporting its decision to seal the documents and for rejecting the alternatives.” Ashcraft v.
`
`Conoco, Inc., 218 F.3d 288, 302 (4th Cir. 2000) (internal citations omitted). Upon consideration
`
`of PM/Altria’s motion to seal and its memorandum in support thereof, the Court hereby FINDS
`
`as follows:
`
`1.
`
`The public has received notice of the request to seal and has had reasonable
`
`opportunity to object. PM/Altria’s sealing motion was publicly docketed in accordance with
`
`Local Civil Rule 5. Reynolds has filed a memorandum in support of sealing. The “public has had
`
`ample opportunity to object” to PM/Altria’s motion and, since “the Court has received no
`
`objections,” the first requirement under Ashcraft, 218 F.3d at 302, has been satisfied. GTSI Corp.
`
`v. Wildflower Int’l, Inc., No. 1:09CV123(JCC), 2009 WL 1248114, at *9 (E.D. Va. Apr. 30,
`
`2009); United. States ex rel. Carter v. Halliburton Co., No. 1:10CV864(JCC/TCB), 2011 WL
`
`2077799, at *3 (E.D. Va. May 24, 2011) (“[T]he parties provided public notice of the request to
`
`seal that allowed interested parties a reasonable opportunity to object—nearly two weeks.”).
`
`2.
`
`PM/Altria seeks to seal and redact from the public record only information
`
`designated by the parties as confidential. PM/Altria has filed publicly a redacted version of its
`
`Brief in Support of PM/Altria’s Daubert Motion to Exclude Design-Around Testimony of
`
`Reynolds’s Expert, David Clissold and accompanying Exhibits 1-5, 9, and 10 (Dkt. 918), in
`
`addition to a sealed version (Dkt. 922), and has redacted only those limited portions it seeks to
`
`seal. This selective and narrow protection of confidential material constitutes the least drastic
`
`method of shielding the information at issue. Adams v. Object Innovation, Inc., No. 3:11CV272-
`
`REP-DWD, 2011 WL 7042224, at *4 (E.D. Va. Dec. 5, 2011) (The “proposal to redact only the
`
`proprietary and confidential information, rather than seal the entirety of his declaration,
`
`constitutes the least drastic method of shielding the information at issue.”). The public has no
`
`2
`
`
`
`Case 1:20-cv-00393-LO-TCB Document 944 Filed 01/31/22 Page 3 of 5 PageID# 26196
`
`legitimate interest in information that is confidential to PM/Altria and Reynolds. Id. (“[T]here is
`
`no legitimate public interest in disclosing the proprietary and confidential information of [the
`
`defendant] … and disclosure to the public could result in significant damage to the company.”).
`
`The information that PM/Altria seeks to seal includes confidential, proprietary, and
`
`competitively sensitive business information of PM/Altria, Reynolds, and/or third parties, each
`
`of which could face harm if such information were to be released publicly. Specifically, the
`
`sensitive information that PM/Altria move for leave to file under seal, and to redact from a
`
`publicly filed version, includes proprietary and commercially sensitive business, financial, and
`
`design information of PM/Altria, Reynolds, and/or third parties:
`
`(cid:120) PM/Altria’s Brief in Support of PM/Altria’s Daubert Motion to Exclude Design-
`
`Around Testimony of Reynolds’s Expert, David Clissold;
`
`(cid:120) Exhibit 1, which are excerpts from the confidential Expert Report of David B.
`
`Clissold, Esq. in Response to Amended and Supplemented Opening Report of
`
`Stacy Ehrlich;
`
`(cid:120) Exhibit 2, which are excerpts from the confidential deposition transcript of David
`
`Clissold taken May 14, 2021;
`
`(cid:120) Exhibit 3, which are excerpts from the confidential Report of Ryan Sullivan,
`
`Ph.D. (March 24, 2021);
`
`(cid:120) Exhibit 4, which are excerpts from the confidential Opening Expert Report of
`
`Paul K. Meyer (February 24, 2021);
`
`(cid:120) Exhibit 5, which are excerpts from the confidential deposition transcript of Ryan
`
`Sullivan, Ph.D. taken May 11, 2021;
`
`3
`
`
`
`Case 1:20-cv-00393-LO-TCB Document 944 Filed 01/31/22 Page 4 of 5 PageID# 26197
`
`(cid:120) Exhibit 9, which are excerpts from the confidential Opening Expert Report of
`
`Stacy Ehrlich (February 24, 2021);
`
`(cid:120) Exhibit 10, which are excerpts from the confidential transcript of the Open/Closed
`
`Sessions from 337-TA-1199 (January 27, 2021).
`
`3.(cid:3)
`
`There is support for filing portions of PM/Altria’s Brief in Support of PM/Altria’s(cid:3)
`
`Daubert Motion to Exclude Design-Around Testimony of Reynolds’s Expert, David Clissold and
`
`accompanying Exhibits 1-5, 9, and 10 under seal, with publicly filed versions containing strictly
`
`limited redactions. PM/Altria’s Brief in Support of PM/Altria’s Daubert Motion to Exclude
`
`Design-Around Testimony of Reynolds’s Expert, David Clissold and accompanying Exhibits 1-
`
`5, 9, and 10 contain materials that fall within the scope of the stipulated protective order. Placing
`
`these materials under seal is proper because the public’s interest in access is outweighed by a
`
`party’s interest in “preserving confidentiality” of the limited amount of confidential information
`
`that is “normally unavailable to the public.” Flexible Benefits Council v. Feltman, No.
`
`1:08CV371-JCC, 2008 WL 4924711, at *1 (E.D. Va. Nov. 13, 2008); United States ex rel.
`
`Carter, 2011 WL 2077799, at *3.
`
`Therefore, based on the findings above, for good cause shown, it is hereby
`
`ORDERED that the motion(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:39)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:28)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:12) is GRANTED, and PM/Altria is granted leave to file
`
`REDACTED versions of PM/Altria’s Brief in Support of PM/Altria’s Daubert Motion to
`
`Exclude Design-Around Testimony of Reynolds’s Expert, David Clissold and accompanying
`
`Exhibits 1-5, 9, and 10(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:39)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:28)(cid:20)(cid:27)(cid:12)(cid:17)(cid:3)
`
`And to file UNDER SEAL un-redacted versions of PM/Altria’s Brief in Support of PM/
`
`Altria’s Daubert Motion to Exclude Design-Around Testimony of Reynolds’s Expert, David
`
`Clissold and accompanying Exhibits 1-5, 9, and 10. (cid:11)(cid:39)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:28)(cid:21)(cid:21)(cid:17)(cid:12)(cid:3)
`
`4
`
`
`
`Case 1:20-cv-00393-LO-TCB Document 944 Filed 01/31/22 Page 5 of 5 PageID# 26198
`
`And it is FURTHER ORDERED that un-redacted versions of PM/Altria’s Brief in
`
`Support of PM/Altria’s Daubert Motion to Exclude Design-Around Testimony of Reynolds’s
`
`Expert, David Clissold and accompanying Exhibits 1-5, 9, and 10 shall remain SEALED until
`
`further order of the Court.
`
`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)
`
`5
`
`