Chenming Holdings Limited v. John Does 1-10
- Katherine Failla
- 1:24-cv-00935
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Chenming Holdings v. John Does, Judge Failla granted in part an application to seal exhibits and directed defendants to file declarations and attachments under seal.
Defendants Val Sklarov and Tetyana Sklarov, whose declarations and attached exhibits were ordered filed under seal and made viewable only by the court and the parties.
What happened
In Chenming Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited v. John Does 1-10, defendants Val Sklarov and Tetyana Sklarov asked to file two exhibits under seal. The exhibits contained school information concerning their minor children and information about where the defendants currently reside.
The defendants said sealing was needed to protect the children’s privacy and that the exhibits supported their arguments about the court’s authority to hear the case. The request was made with the plaintiff’s consent.
Judge Katherine Polk Failla granted the application in part. She permitted the defendants to file the discussed exhibits under seal but instructed them to file the declarations of Tetyana Vasziliv and Val Sklarov, along with their attached exhibits, under seal as well. Those documents will be viewable only by the court and the parties, and the clerk was directed to terminate the pending motion.
The detailed version
- Chenming Holdings Limited v. John Does 1-10 · No. 1:24-cv-00935
- Katherine Failla
- Mar. 10, 2025
Background
Defendants Val Sklarov and Tetyana Sklarov asked to file two exhibits under seal while supporting their motion to dismiss the second amended complaint. The exhibits were Exhibit 7 to Tetyana Sklarov’s supplemental declaration and Exhibit 4 to Val Sklarov’s supplemental declaration. According to the defendants’ filing, the exhibits contained certifications from schools attended by their minor children and information relevant to where the defendants currently reside. The defendants argued that sealing was necessary to protect the children’s privacy. The plaintiff consented to the request.
Court’s Analysis
The court’s order allowed the defendants to file the discussed exhibits under seal. The order also noted that the defendants had filed only sealed versions of the exhibits on the docket. Under the court’s Individual Rules of Practice, the court instructed the defendants to electronically file under seal the declarations of Tetyana Vasziliv, docket number 130, and Val Sklarov, docket number 131, together with the exhibits attached to those declarations.
Ruling
Judge Katherine Polk Failla granted the application in part. The sealed documents are to remain viewable only by the court and the parties. The clerk was directed to terminate the pending motion at docket entry 127. The order does not identify in the text provided what portion of the application was not granted.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.