Judge Allows Partial Expedited Discovery in Apple-OpenAI Trade Secrets Suit
Judge Edward Davila granted some document and deposition requests while denying or postponing others in Apple's case against OpenAI, io Products and two ex-employees.
Judge Edward Davila on October 13, 2026 partially granted Apple's requests for expedited discovery in its trade secrets lawsuit against two former employees, OpenAI and io Products, according to 9to5mac.com. The ruling orders some document production and depositions while rejecting or postponing other requests.
The judge authorized Yu-Ting "Alyssa" Peng to be deposed, among the discovery measures approved.
Apple filed the lawsuit a few months before October 2026 against former employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan, as well as OpenAI and io Products. Apple has alleged that Liu and Tan improperly accessed or used confidential information about its products and technologies to help advance OpenAI's consumer hardware development efforts, and that they improperly obtained information from other Apple employees during recruitment interviews.
Apple had also requested a preliminary injunction to prevent the defendants from embedding the alleged trade secrets in their hardware development, alongside its request for expedited discovery.
Quick answers
What did Judge Edward Davila rule in the Apple v. OpenAI case?
He partially granted Apple's requests for expedited discovery, ordering document production and depositions, while rejecting or postponing other requests.
Who are the defendants in Apple's trade secrets lawsuit?
Former Apple employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan, OpenAI and io Products.