Judge Henry Boroff on Wednesday said that he was doubtful if Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s request to seal documents filed under GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:GTAT)’s Chapter 11 proceedings was justified. The iPhone manufacturer claimed that the documentation contained sensitive information pertaining to research and business dealings which should not be available in the public domain.
Judge Boroff, who presided over the GT Advanced Technologies bankruptcy proceedings in the United States Bankruptcy Court in Springfield, Massachusetts, asked Apple to produce a list of the sensitive documentation that it wanted sealed by Monday.
No sensitive information found
Judge Boroff likened the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) – GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:GTAT) tiff to that between an overburdened contractor and an unsatisfied homeowner where the latter complained of below par work output while the former argued that frequent modifications in requirements initiated by the owner was the reason behind the reduced quality. He also questioned the need for sealing a huge amount of documentation, which did not seem to contain much propriety information, simply to satisfy the Apple’s fancy.
GTAT’s unexpected bankruptcy
About a year ago, GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:GTAT) had struck a deal for $578 million with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to supply the company with sapphire for its new devices such as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus that feature scratch resistant sapphire crystal displays. But Apple’s stringent standards and pricing policy meant that GT Advanced Technologies could not gain as much as initially estimated from the deal.
The New Hampshire based crystal growth technology company announced last week that it had filed for bankruptcy citing its piling losses due to the deal with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and had sought to let itself out of the contract. If all goes through, it would mean that GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:GTAT)’s Arizona plant at Mesa would be closed and about thousand jobs would be lost as a result. Apple, however, said in a public statement that it would work towards saving the jobs in Arizona.
