Ex Parte

Pittsburgh Logistics Systems v. Glen Rose Transportation Management, while affirming a judgment rendered after jury trial in a trade-secrets case, provides this footnote about the unusual but important issue of ex parte communications:

Ex-parte, in camera meetings with a party are strongly disfavored and often reversible error, however well-intentioned, here focused on admonishing a party about unacceptable communications with the court’s staff. See 28 U.S.C. § 753. Upon PLS’s motion for clarification, however, the court promptly disclosed all contents of the admonition into the record, disclosing it to both parties, and we see no reversible error nor that the administrative matter addressed touched on the substantive merits of the case, particularly where PLS admitted at oral argument that it knew the court was going to conduct the ex-parte conference in advance, and it did not object.

No. 25-50864 (Oct. 2, 2026).