Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-03257/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-03257-31/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 360
Nature of Suit: Other Personal Injury
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Fed. Question: Tort Action

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

HE NAM YOU and KYUNG SOON KIM, for

themselves and on behalf of all others similarly

situated,

Plaintiffs,

 v.

JAPAN, et al.,

Defendants. /

No. C 15-03257 WHA

ORDER RE

SEALING MOTION

Plaintiffs have moved to file under seal documents filed in conjunction with their

supplemental brief regarding the Court’s personal jurisdiction over defendant Sankei Shimbun.

Sankei designated portions of those documents as Confidential pursuant to the protective order

in this action. The information sought to be sealed includes Sankei’s organizational charts,

detailed budget information, and testimony from Sankei’s 30(b)(6) witness including statements

about his marital status and salary, examples of Sankei’s work in the United States, and

discussion of Sankei’s budgets for its United States offices. 

Plaintiffs’ motion is GRANTED as to Sankei’s comprehensive budget information (Dkt.

No. 173-1 at 3–16), the names of individuals on its organizational charts (id. at 1–2), and as to

the dollar numbers relating to Mr. Kurosawa’s personal salary (Kurosawa Dep. 102:3, 102:9,

104:11). 

Sankei’s supporting declaration offers no basis for concluding that any harm or invasion

of privacy would result from public disclosure of testimony regarding snippets of financial data

and business practices, or its organizational charts (with individuals’ names redacted) for its

United States offices, which information is highly relevant to the issue of personal jurisdiction. 

Case 3:15-cv-03257-WHA Document 177 Filed 04/29/16 Page 1 of 2
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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Bare assertions that this information is “non-public” or “competitively sensitive” are

insufficient. By way of example, Sankei seeks to seal the following testimony on the basis that

it contains “competitively sensitive information regarding sources and type of news gathered by

bureau” in reference to a report sent by Sankei’s United States bureau to headquarters in Japan

(Kurosawa Dep. at 78):

THE WITNESS: It says the midterm which will evaluate Obama’s

second term election, is happening next year.

Nor does Mr. Kurosawa’s testimony regarding whether he has family in the United States and

his marital status (without identifying the names of his family members) warrant sealing. 

Accordingly, with the exception of the redactions identified above, plaintiffs’ sealing motion is

DENIED.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: April 29, 2016. WILLIAM ALSUP

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 3:15-cv-03257-WHA Document 177 Filed 04/29/16 Page 2 of 2