Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_18-cv-02107/USCOURTS-cand-5_18-cv-02107-4/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 160
Nature of Suit: Stockholder's Suits
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Fed. Question: Securities Violation

---

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN JOSE DIVISION

CITY OF BIRMINGHAM RELIEF AND 

RETIREMENT SYSTEM,

Plaintiff,

v.

REED HASTINGS, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 18-cv-02107-BLF 

ORDER GRANTING NOMINAL 

DEFENDANT NETFLIX’S 

ADMINISTRATIVE MOTION TO 

KEEP UNDER SEAL PORTIONS OF 

THE ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO

DISMISS WITH LEAVE TO

AMEND; DIRECTING DEFENDANT 

TO PUBLICLY FILE DOCUMENT

[Re: ECF 48]

On February 13, 2019, the Court issued under seal its Order Granting Motion to Dismiss 

with Leave to Amend. ECF 46. The Court directed the parties to confer and submit proposed 

redactions to the Order. ECF 47. Nominal Defendant Netflix moves to seal certain financial 

projections included in the order that the Court has previously allowed to be filed under seal, 

which Plaintiff does not oppose. See Mot. at 2–3, ECF 48; Eggleton Decl. ¶ 3, ECF 48-1.

“Historically, courts have recognized a ‘general right to inspect and copy public records 

and documents, including judicial records and documents.’” Kamakana v. City & Cnty. of 

Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1178 (9th Cir. 2006) (quoting Nixon v. Warner Commc’ns, Inc., 435 

U.S. 589, 597 & n.7 (1978)). Consequently, access to motions and their attachments that are 

“more than tangentially related to the merits of a case” may be sealed only upon a showing of 

“compelling reasons” for sealing. Ctr. for Auto Safety v. Chrysler Grp., LLC, 809 F.3d 1092, 

1101-02 (9th Cir. 2016). Filings that are only tangentially related to the merits may be sealed 

upon a lesser showing of “good cause.” Id. at 1097. In addition, sealing motions filed in this 

district must be “narrowly tailored to seek sealing only of sealable material.” Civil L.R. 79-5(b). 

Case 5:18-cv-02107-BLF Document 49 Filed 03/04/19 Page 1 of 2
2

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

Northern District of California

A party moving to seal a document in whole or in part must file a declaration establishing that the 

identified material is “sealable.” Civ. L.R. 79-5(d)(1)(A). “Reference to a stipulation or 

protective order that allows a party to designate certain documents as confidential is not sufficient 

to establish that a document, or portions thereof, are sealable.” Id.

Netflix argues that the figures reflecting its projected global streaming revenues are 

sensitive, confidential financial information, the disclosure of which would cause competitive and 

business harm to Netflix because a competitor might use it to, for example, gain insight into 

Netflix’s margins, commercial strategies, and internal operating procedures. See Yurechko Decl. 

¶ 4, ECF 48-3. This Court has previously allowed these same figures to be filed under seal. See 

ECF 20; ECF 40. The Court agrees with Netflix, as it has previously held, that release of this 

confidential business information could harm Netflix. As such, compelling reasons exist to keep 

these figures under seal. Moreover, the proposed redactions are narrowly tailored to exclude only 

sealable material as required by Civil L.R. 79-5(b).

Netflix’s motion to seal the monetary figures at page 4, lines 5–7 and page 12, lines 5–7 of 

the Court’s Order Granting Motion to Dismiss with Leave to Amend is GRANTED. Netflix is 

ORDERED to publicly file the redacted version of the Order (ECF 48-2) on the docket on or 

before March 8, 2019.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: March 4, 2019

______________________________________

BETH LABSON FREEMAN

United States District Judge

Case 5:18-cv-02107-BLF Document 49 Filed 03/04/19 Page 2 of 2