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 requests to seal settlement-related filings.
The order affects plaintiff Lisa Lombardo, defendant JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., interested party Daniel Schlanger, and public access to the identified filings. Documents 304 and its attachments and 306 are restricted to court users, plaintiff, and Mr. Schlanger; Documents 305 and 309 are restricted to court users and the parties.
What happened
In Lombardo v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., an interested party and JPMorgan Chase Bank asked the court to seal or redact parts of filings supporting intervention and enforcement of a settlement agreement.
The requested redactions concerned settlement negotiations, settlement terms, and proposed amended settlement terms. The court recognized that judicial documents are generally presumed accessible to the public, but settlement discussions and related documents do not have the same presumptive access.
Judge Vincent L. Briccetti granted the requests to seal. He ordered certain documents restricted to court users, the plaintiff, and the interested party, and other documents restricted to court users and the parties; he also directed the Clerk to terminate the two letter motions.
The detailed version
- Lombardo v. Trans Union, LLC · No. 7:20-cv-06813
- Vincent Briccetti
- Feb. 12, 2025
Background
On February 11, 2025, interested party Daniel Schlanger filed a letter motion asking to seal and redact portions of declarations submitted in support of his motion to intervene and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.'s motion to enforce the parties' settlement agreement. JPMorgan also filed a letter motion seeking to seal and redact portions of its reply supporting enforcement of the settlement agreement.
The requested redactions disclosed settlement negotiations, settlement terms, and proposed amended settlement terms.
Court's analysis
The court explained that judicial documents, including legal memoranda and declarations, generally carry a presumption of public access. It also explained that settlement discussions and settlement documents do not have a presumptive right of public access. The court relied on the reasons stated in Mr. Schlanger's and JPMorgan's letter motions.
Ruling
The court granted both requests to seal. The Clerk was directed to place Document 304 and its attachments, and Document 306, under seal so that they remain restricted to court users, plaintiff Lisa Lombardo, and interested party Daniel Schlanger. Documents 305 and 309 were to remain restricted to court users and the parties. The Clerk was also directed to terminate Documents 303 and 308. Chambers was directed to mail a copy of the order to plaintiff at the address on the docket and email a copy to the listed email address.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.