United States of America v. Humana Inc

District Court, W.D. Kentucky·Decided June 12, 2020·No. 3:18-cv-00061·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY LOUISVILLE DIVISION CIVIL ACTION NO. 3:18-CV-61-JRW-CHL

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ex rel. STEVEN SCOTT, Plaintiff,

v.

HUMANA, INC., Defendant.

Memorandum Opinion and Order

Before the Court is a motion for leave to file under seal Relator’s motion to compel a complete response to Interrogatory No. 11, filed provisionally under seal filed by Relator Steven Scott (“Relator”) as briefed in DN 275. Also before the Court is the motion for leave to file under seal Humana’s opposition, filed provisionally under seal, to Relator’s motion to compel a complete response to Interrogatory No. 11 filed by Defendant Humana Inc. (“Humana”) as briefed in DN 279. Relator then filed a motion for leave to file under seal his reply in support of his motion to compel a complete response to Interrogatory No. 11, filed provisionally under seal as briefed in DN 282. Humana also filed an omnibus motion for leave to file under seal confidential information accompanying docket entries 276, 280, and 283 as briefed in DN 284 and 298. Relator then filed a motion for leave to file under seal his response to Defendant’s omnibus motion for leave to file under seal confidential information accompanying docket entries 276, 280, and 283 as briefed in DN 294. I. MOTIONS TO SEAL A. Legal Standard Although the Sixth Circuit has long recognized a “strong presumption in favor of openness” regarding court records, there are certain interests that overcome this “strong presumption.” Rudd Equipment Co., Inc. v. John Deere Construction & Forestry Co., 834 F.3d 589, 593 (6th Cir. 2016) (citing Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. v. FTC, 710 F.2d 1165, 1179 (6th Cir. 1983)). These interests include “certain privacy rights of participants or third parties, trade secrets, and national

security.” Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., 710 F.2d at 1179. The party seeking to seal the records bears a “heavy” burden; simply showing that public disclosure of the information would, for instance, harm a company's reputation is insufficient. Id.; Shane Grp. Inc. v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mich., 825 F.3d 299, 305 (6th Cir. 2016). Instead, the moving party must show that it will suffer a “clearly defined and serious injury” if the judicial records are not sealed. Shane Grp. Inc., 825 F.3d at 307. Examples of injuries sufficient to justify a sealing of judicial records include those that could be used as “sources of business information that might harm a litigant's competitive standing.” Nixon v. Warner Comm'ns, Inc., 435 U.S. 589, 598 (1978). In rendering a decision, the Court must articulate why the interests supporting nondisclosure

are compelling, why the interests supporting public access are not as compelling, and why the scope of the seal is no broader than necessary. Shane Grp. Inc., 825 F.3d at 306. Importantly, the presumption that the public has the right to access judicial records does not vanish simply because all parties in the case agree that certain records should be sealed. Rudd Equipment Co., Inc., 834 F.3d at 595 (noting that although the defendant did not object to the plaintiff's motion to seal, his lack of objection did not waive the public's First Amendment and common law right of access to court filings); Shane Grp. Inc., 825 F.3d at 305 (“A court's obligation to keep its records open for public inspection is not conditioned on an objection from anybody.”) B. Discussion 1. Relator’s Motion for Leave to File His Motion to Compel a Complete Response to Interrogatory No. 11 Provisionally Under Seal (DN 275)

Relator says that pursuant to its confidentiality stipulation, Relator is filing his motion to compel a complete response to Interrogatory No. 11 provisionally under seal and Humana is then required to submit a brief to the Court as to why sealing is required and whether redaction could eliminate or reduce the need for sealing. (DN 275, at PageID # 20075.) Relator explicitly states that he does not believe that any portion of the motion should be filed permanently under seal. (Id.) Relator sets forth no other arguments in his two-paragraph motion. (Id.) Based on the foregoing, the Court finds Relator has failed to set forth an argument that a compelling reason exists to seal DN 276. Accordingly, DN 275 is DENIED. 2. Humana’s Motion for Leave to File under Seal Humana’s Opposition to Relator’s Motion to Compel a Complete Response to Interrogatory No. 11 (DN 279) Humana says that pursuant to its confidentiality stipulation, Humana is filing its opposition to Relator’s motion to compel a complete response to Interrogatory No. 11 provisionally under seal

and Humana will submit a brief to the Court within 10 days as to why sealing is required and whether redaction could eliminate or reduce the need for sealing. (DN 279, at PageID # 20784.) Based on the foregoing, the Court finds that Humana has failed to provide a compelling reason to seal DN 280 in this motion. Accordingly, DN 279 is DENIED. 3. Relator’s Motion for Leave to File His Reply in Support of His Motion to Compel a Complete Response to Interrogatory No. 11 Provisionally Under Seal (DN 282) Relator says that pursuant to its confidentiality stipulation, Relator is filing his reply in support of his motion to compel a complete response to Interrogatory No. 11 provisionally under seal and Humana is then required to submit a brief to the Court as to why sealing is required and whether redaction could eliminate or reduce the need for sealing. (DN 282, at PageID # 21651.) Relator explicitly states that he does not believe that any portion of the motion should be filed permanently under seal. (Id.) Relator sets forth no other arguments in his two-paragraph motion. (Id.) Based on the foregoing, the Court finds Relator has failed to set forth an argument that a compelling reason exists to seal DN 283. Accordingly, DN 282 is DENIED.

4. Humana Inc.’s Omnibus Motion for Leave to File Under Seal Confidential Information Accompanying Docket Entries 276, 280, and 283 (DN 284, 295, 298) In lieu of filing responses and briefs in support of the previously listed motions, Humana has filed an additional omnibus motion for leave to file under seal excerpts of the following: Relator’s motion to compel a complete response to Interrogatory No. 11 (DN 276), Humana’s opposition to Relator’s motion to compel (DN 280), and Relator’s reply in support of his motion to compel (DN 283). In opposition, Relator filed a response to Humana’s omnibus motion (DN 295) and a motion to seal his response (DN 294). Humana subsequently filed a reply in support of its omnibus motion (DN 298). The parties filed a joint index of exhibits related to these motions. (DN 288.)

Humana argues there is a compelling reason to seal the excerpts of the documents attached to DN 284 since the documents contain two categories of non-public proprietary information that could cause commercial harm to Humana if filed in the public record. (DN 284, at PageID # 21712.) First, Humana argues the excerpts reflect confidential internal financial information that provides insight into the factors Humana considers when formulating its financial projections which competitors and business partners could use to gain an advantage over Humana. (DN 284, at PageID # 21712.) Second, Humana argues the excerpts contain information about Humana’s internal Medicare Part D bid practices including projections and actual experience data.

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