O.A. v. United States Park Police

Background

O.A. filed an amended administrative motion asking to seal case records, proceed under a pseudonym, and remove identifying information. The requests included using initials, omitting contact information from future filings, redacting O.A.’s name and contact information from the docket, sealing the complaint in full, sealing or redacting references to contact with law enforcement, suppressing metadata identifying O.A., and sealing the motion itself.

Court’s Analysis

The court applied the rule that a party may remain anonymous when the need for anonymity outweighs prejudice to the opposing party and the public’s interest in knowing the party’s identity. It noted the Ninth Circuit’s practice of protecting the names of alleged sexual-assault victims. The court concluded that O.A.’s interest in anonymity and the public interest in allowing alleged assault victims to proceed anonymously outweighed the public interest in O.A.’s identity.

The defendants had not yet appeared. The court therefore stated that its ruling allowing anonymity was without prejudice to arguments the defendants might later raise as the case progressed.

Ruling

The court granted O.A.’s request to proceed using the initials “O.A.” and ordered that all future filings use that designation instead of O.A.’s name. Filings that included O.A.’s name were provisionally sealed. Fourteen days after O.A. obtains new counsel or the stay is lifted, whichever occurs sooner, O.A. must file amended copies of the listed filings replacing her name with “O.A.” After those amended filings are received, the provisionally sealed copies containing her name will be permanently sealed.

The court granted the motion to seal in part and denied O.A.’s remaining requests. The order was entered by Magistrate Judge Lisa J. Cisneros.