Case Number: 19-md-02878-NMG

Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Client: ProPublica

Background: Beginning in 2015, several groups of prescription drug buyers brought class-action lawsuits against Ranbaxy, accusing the pharmaceutical company of fraudulently obstructing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s process for approving generic drugs for the U.S. market, jeopardizing the public’s access to safe and effective generics. The lawsuits were eventually consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. 

During the litigation, both sides requested to file their motions for summary judgment under seal, which the court granted without explanation. While some of those documents were later unsealed, many of them have remained unavailable to the public. The court denied both motions for summary judgment, and the case ultimately ended in a settlement.

On behalf of ProPublica, Reporters Committee attorney Lin Weeks and legal fellow Annie Seminara filed this motion to intervene and unseal many of the documents that remain shielded from the public. The motion argues that the public has a presumptive right to access the sealed records under both the common law and the First Amendment. 

From the filing: “Releasing these records will enable ProPublica to report on public health issues of paramount importance including how one of the leading generic drugmakers in the world manufactures drugs and ensures their safety, how the FDA’s approval process operates, and why the FDA approved Ranbaxy before other companies to manufacture three generic drugs.”

Update: On May 26, 2026, a federal judge denied ProPublica’s motion to intervene and unseal the records, concluding that the motion was untimely because the case was settled and dismissed in September 2022.

Filings:

2026-02-12: Motion to intervene and unseal judicial records

2026-02-12: Memorandum of law of ProPublica in support of motion to intervene and unseal judicial records

2026-05-26: Memorandum and order