Grecia v. Brass Lion Entertainment, Inc.

Background

Defendants Brass Lion Entertainment, Inc., Justin Smith, and Bryna Smith asked the court to protect personal information contained in filings submitted by pro se plaintiff William Grecia. The information included the Smiths’ home address, personal email addresses, phone numbers, and photos of their home. The defendants also asked the court to remind Grecia to follow the court’s procedures for people without lawyers and to communicate with defendants’ counsel of record rather than other lawyers at the firm.

Court’s Reasoning

The court found that the defendants’ interest in keeping the specified information confidential outweighed the public’s interest in full access to the judicial documents containing it. The court stated that the redactions protected personal privacy, were narrowly tailored, and concerned information that had no bearing on the issues before the court.

Ruling

The request to keep the unredacted versions of Docket Nos. 1–3, 7, 12, 14, 22, and 25 under seal was granted. The Clerk of Court was directed to maintain those unredacted filings under seal, along with the highlighted exhibits attached to Docket No. 31. The court also directed that the pending motions at Docket Nos. 30 and 31 be terminated.

Judge Gary Stein reminded Grecia to follow Judge Rearden’s procedures for pro se civil cases, which provide that parties may not contact the court directly and should send filings and questions to the Pro Se Office. The court also advised Grecia not to contact lawyers at Cohen & Gresser LLP about the case other than the lawyers who had entered appearances for the defendants.