Lombardo v. Trans Union, LLC
- Vincent Briccetti
- 7:20-cv-06813
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
Lombardo v. JPMorgan, Judge Briccetti granted counsel’s request to seal settlement-related filings and restricted access to specified documents.
Plaintiff Lisa Lombardo, plaintiff’s counsel, the defendant identified in the opinion as JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and members of the public seeking access to the specified filings.
What happened
In Lombardo v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., plaintiff’s counsel asked the court to seal parts of his reply supporting his motion to withdraw and exhibits to his declaration.
The court explained that judicial documents are generally open to the public, but settlement discussions and related documents do not have the same presumptive access. It granted the sealing request and ordered specific filings to remain restricted while making another filing publicly available.
Judge Vincent L. Briccetti directed the Clerk to seal Docs. 262, 263 and their attachments, 266-1, and 266-2, with access limited as specified in the order; Doc. 266 itself was made public, and Doc. 261 was terminated.
The detailed version
- Lombardo v. Trans Union, LLC · No. 7:20-cv-06813
- Vincent Briccetti
- Sept. 17, 2024
Background
In connection with plaintiff’s counsel’s reply supporting his motion to withdraw, counsel filed two letters asking the court to seal portions of the reply and exhibits to his supporting declaration. The opinion refers to these filings as Docs. ##261 and 266.
Access to the filings
The court stated that judicial documents—including memoranda of law and declarations—are generally presumed to be accessible to the public. It also stated that settlement discussions and settlement-related documents do not have that presumptive right of public access.
Ruling
The court granted the request to seal. Judge Vincent L. Briccetti ordered the Clerk to:
- Place Docs. ##262 and 263, their attachments, and Doc. #266-2 under seal, restricting access to court users, plaintiff, and plaintiff’s counsel. - Place Doc. #266-1 under seal, restricting access to court users and the parties. - Make Doc. #266 publicly available, while keeping Docs. ##266-1 and 266-2 restricted. - Terminate Doc. #261.
The opinion does not address the merits of the underlying dispute.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.