Doe

This case involves an attempt by plaintiff H.B. Fuller Company to discover by subpoena the true identity of an anonymous defendant, appearing here as John Doe, who allegedly disclosed confidential information on a Web site in violation of an employment agreement between plaintiff and defendant. The trial court denied defendant’s motion to quash, relying in part on documents filed under seal pursuant to a stipulated order. Those documents, and additional documents referring to them, have been filed under seal in this court pursuant to the trial court’s order. Defendant has moved this court to unseal all such materials. Plaintiff contends that we should deny the motion in deference to the trial court’s order. Because we detect no justification for keeping the documents under seal, we will grant the motion.

Background

It appears that plaintiff H.B. Fuller Company (sometimes Fuller) is a manufacturer of adhesives and other materials, with its headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. According to Fuller’s human resources director, all current Fuller employees in the United States have signed an undertaking in writing not to disclose “confidential information,” as there defined,…