Impossible Foods Inc. v. Impossible X LLC

Summary

The United States District Court for the Northern District of California grants two administrative motions to seal materials related to an opposition to Impossible Foods Inc.'s motion for partial summary judgment. The court applies the compelling-reasons standard and finds that the materials contain confidential financial information, business strategies, and other information whose disclosure could cause competitive harm. The court also orders the parties to refile public versions with narrower redactions or renew their sealing motions by September 29, 2025.

Holdings

1. Because the materials concerned an opposition to a motion for partial summary judgment and were more than tangentially related to the merits, the court applied the compelling-reasons standard rather than the lesser good-cause standard.
2. Compelling reasons existed to seal the identified confidential business, financial, and strategic information because public disclosure could harm the parties' competitive standing.
3. The sealing requests were narrowly tailored to the material warranting protection.

Questions Presented

1. Whether portions of filings related to an opposition to a motion for partial summary judgment may be sealed under the compelling-reasons standard.
2. Whether the requested sealing and redactions were narrowly tailored under Civil Local Rule 79-5.
3. Whether material designated as confidential by another party should be sealed under Civil Local Rule 79-5(f).

Disposition

other