Foltz

This case calls upon us to determine when parties other than the original litigants may gain access to materials that a court has placed under protective seal. Private and Public Intervenors appeal. Private Intervenors appeal from the district court’s refusal to unseal discovery materials and court records. Public Intervenors appeal from the dismissal of their second motion to unseal documents.

This case follows upon the settlement of a lawsuit that charged State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (“State Farm”) with fraud. In district court, in-tervenors representing the public moved for public access to sealed court records from that suit. Private Intervenors — individuals involved in collateral litigation against State Farm — sought access to both discovery materials and court records. The district court denied Public Interve-nors’ renewed motion to unseal documents. The district court granted in part the Private Intervenors’ motions to unseal. Three categories of documents, however, remained under seal: (1) various discovery documents, following the denial of the Private Intervenors’ motion to modify the protective order covering them; (2) the summary judgment…