SHERI SHELTON v. GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY; and DOES 1-50

Summary

This document is a Stipulated Protective Order entered in Sheri Shelton v. Great American Insurance Company in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. It governs the designation, disclosure, use, challenge, filing, and disposition of confidential discovery materials, and was signed by Magistrate Judge Autumn D. Spaeth on November 5, 2025.

Holdings

1. For good cause shown, the court entered the parties' stipulated protective order to protect qualifying confidential discovery material from public disclosure and use for purposes unrelated to prosecuting, defending, or attempting to settle the action.
2. Protected material may be used only in connection with prosecuting, defending, or attempting to settle the action and may be disclosed only to the categories of persons and under the conditions specified in the order.
3. A party or nonparty may challenge a confidentiality designation through the dispute-resolution process under Local Rule 37.1 et seq.; the designating party bears the burden of persuasion, and the material remains protected under its designation until the court rules on the challenge.
4. The protective order does not itself authorize filing protected material under seal; a party must comply with Central District of California Local Rule 79-5 and obtain a court order authorizing sealing of the specific material.

Questions Presented

1. Whether good cause supported entry of a stipulated protective order governing confidential discovery material.
2. What procedures and restrictions should govern designation, use, disclosure, challenge, filing under seal, and final disposition of protected discovery material.

Disposition

other