Boothe v. First Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company
- Katherine Failla
- 1:24-cv-03927
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Boothe v. Reliance Standard, Judge Failla granted Boothe’s request to file the 5,113-page administrative record under seal.
Pearline Boothe’s privacy interests and the filing of the administrative record in the case.
What happened
In Boothe v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, Pearline Boothe asked to file under seal the administrative record in her action for long-term disability benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The record would be reviewed in connection with summary-judgment motions.
Boothe said the 5,113-page record contained medical records and sensitive personal information, including addresses, birth dates, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and clinical information. Reliance Standard consented to the request.
Judge Katherine Polk Failla granted the application. She allowed Boothe to file the administrative record under seal under Rule 9(c)(ii) of the court’s Individual Rules of Practice and directed the Clerk to terminate the pending motion at docket entry 31.
The detailed version
- Boothe v. First Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company · No. 1:24-cv-03927
- Katherine Failla
- Apr. 14, 2025
Background
Pearline Boothe brought an action to recover group long-term disability benefits governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. The opinion states that, on summary judgment, the court will review the administrative record compiled during the claim process. Boothe intended to file that record as the only exhibit to her summary-judgment motion.
Request to Seal
Boothe asked for permission to file the administrative record under seal. She stated that the record was 5,113 pages long and included thousands of pages of medical records containing sensitive personal information, including addresses, dates of birth, telephone numbers, Social Security numbers, and clinical information she had provided during the administrative process. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company consented to the request.
Ruling
The court granted the application. It permitted Boothe to file the administrative record under seal in accordance with Rule 9(c)(ii) of the court’s Individual Rules of Practice in Civil Cases. The Clerk of Court was directed to terminate the pending motion at docket entry 31.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.