Kathleen Moller v. Martian Sales, Inc., et al.

Summary

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana denied without prejudice Kathleen Moller’s motion to consider whether exhibits designated confidential by the defendants should be sealed. The court held that the defendants failed to identify specific confidential information or demonstrate particularized harm sufficient to overcome the presumption of public access to judicial records, while allowing seven days to file an appropriate motion concerning Exhibits 5 and 6.

Holdings

1. A party seeking to seal judicial records must identify the particular confidential information in the document and explain the specific harm that would result from public disclosure; generalized assertions of confidentiality, commercial harm, or legal harm are insufficient.
2. Exhibits 5 and 6 should not be sealed on the present record because defendants failed to provide sufficient information regarding confidentiality and economic or legal harm.

Questions Presented

1. Whether defendants established that Exhibits 5 and 6 contained specifically identified confidential information and that disclosure would cause particularized harm sufficient to overcome the presumption of public access to judicial records.
2. Whether the exhibits should be sealed under Eastern District of Louisiana Local Rule 5.6.

Disposition

other