Lombardo v. Trans Union, LLC
- Vincent Briccetti
- 7:20-cv-06813
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Lombardo v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, Judge Briccetti granted former counsel’s motion to seal filings about settlement negotiations and attorney-client communications.
Schlanger Law Group, plaintiff Lisa Lombardo, the defendant, and members of the public seeking access to the sealed filings.
What happened
In Lombardo v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., former counsel Schlanger Law Group asked the court to seal and redact parts of filings supporting its request to intervene and its submission concerning enforcement of the parties’ settlement agreement.
The requested redactions covered settlement negotiations, settlement terms or proposed amended terms, and attorney-client communications. The court noted that judicial documents are generally presumed open to the public, but settlement discussions and related documents do not have the same presumptive access.
Judge Vincent L. Briccetti granted the request to seal. He directed the Clerk to place Documents 278, 279 and their attachments, and 280, under seal, and directed the Clerk to terminate Document 277.
The detailed version
- Lombardo v. Trans Union, LLC · No. 7:20-cv-06813
- Vincent Briccetti
- Dec. 3, 2024
Background
On December 2, 2024, Schlanger Law Group, LLP, identified as plaintiff’s former counsel, filed a letter motion seeking to seal and redact portions of its memorandum and declarations. Those materials supported Schlanger’s motion to intervene and to submit documents in further support of the defendant’s motion to enforce the parties’ settlement agreement.
Schlanger sought redactions concerning settlement negotiations, settlement terms or proposed amended settlement terms, and attorney-client communications.
Court’s reasoning
The court stated that judicial documents—including legal memoranda and declarations—are generally presumed accessible to the public. It also stated that settlement discussions and settlement documents do not have a presumptive right of public access. The court granted the sealing request for the reasons stated in Schlanger’s letter motion.
Disposition
The court granted the request to seal. The Clerk was directed to place Documents 278, 279 and their attachments, and 280, under seal so that they remain restricted to court users and plaintiff. The Clerk was also directed to terminate Document 277. Chambers was directed to mail a copy of the order to plaintiff at the address on the docket.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.