Summary
This United States District Court order resolves the parties' joint motion regarding the continued sealing of specific case documents. The court balances the common-law presumption of public access to judicial records against the need to protect confidential and sensitive personal information about the plaintiff and non-parties. Ultimately, the court grants the motion to maintain the seal on ECF Nos. 96 and 116, while directing the clerk to unseal ECF No. 123 because its publicly filed counterpart lacked necessary redactions.
Topics
Practice areas
Questions Presented
- Whether the documents filed under seal should remain sealed or be unsealed.
Holdings
- The court granted the Joint Motion Regarding Continued Sealing, directing the clerk to keep the documents filed at ECF Nos. 96 and 116 under seal and to unseal the document filed at ECF No. 123.
Key quotations
“Parties may seal documents in a civil case “only as provided by statute or rule, or with leave of court.” L.R. 5.6(a)(1).” (at 1)
“The Court “must consider the degree to which [the relief requested] would interfere with the interests served by the common‑law right of access and balance that interference against the salutary interests served by maintaining confidentiality of the information.”” (at 1)
Factual background
Plaintiff John Doe sought to keep certain documents sealed because they contain confidential and sensitive information about him and non‑parties. Defendants moved for judgment on the pleadings and also sought sealing of related filings.
Procedural history
The parties filed sealed documents and repeatedly sought sealing of confidential information. The court previously sealed similar documents and now considered the Joint Motion Regarding Continued Sealing.