Soudani v. Soudani
- Philip Halpern
- 7:23-cv-09905
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Soudani v. Soudani, Judge Halpern granted an application to seal the plaintiff’s memorandum and declaration concerning a confidentiality designation.
Plaintiff and Counterclaim-Defendant Eman Soudani, Defendant, and members of the public seeking access to the sealed filings.
What happened
In Soudani v. Soudani, Plaintiff and Counterclaim-Defendant Eman Soudani asked to file under seal a memorandum, a declaration by Arthur D. Middlemiss, and an exhibit. The materials concerned Plaintiff’s challenge to Defendant’s designation of certain documents as confidential under a protective order.
Plaintiff said the request was limited to documents whose confidentiality was disputed and to references to those documents. Plaintiff also asked the court to accept redacted versions as the public filing and allow unredacted versions to be filed under seal.
Judge Philip M. Halpern granted the application to seal. The memorandum of law identified as Document 62 and the declaration of Arthur Middlemiss identified as Document 63 are to remain sealed.
The detailed version
- Soudani v. Soudani · No. 7:23-cv-09905
- Philip Halpern
- June 28, 2024
Background
Plaintiff and Counterclaim-Defendant Eman Soudani moved for permission to file materials under seal. The request concerned Plaintiff’s memorandum supporting a motion for clarification about whether certain documents were properly designated as confidential under the parties’ stipulated confidentiality agreement and protective order, along with a declaration by Arthur D. Middlemiss and an exhibit.
Plaintiff disputed whether Defendant’s confidentiality designations were proper and sought court authorization for limited disclosure of the documents. Plaintiff nevertheless requested sealing to avoid a possible violation of the protective order while asking the court to clarify its scope. The request stated that it was limited to the documents at issue and references to them in the declaration and memorandum.
Court’s Ruling
The court granted the application to seal. Its order states that the memorandum of law, identified as Document 62, and the declaration of Arthur Middlemiss, identified as Document 63, shall be sealed. The opinion text also quotes the general legal standard that judicial documents are presumptively available to the public but may be sealed when supported by good cause and narrowly tailored protection of interests such as privacy.
Disposition
Application to seal granted. Document 62 and Document 63 shall be sealed.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.