Bonacasa v. Standard Chartered PLC
- Edgardo Ramos
- 1:22-cv-03320
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Bonacasa v. Standard Chartered, Judge Ramos granted a motion to file two exhibits under seal.
Standard Chartered Bank, nonparty Citigroup Global Markets Inc., and public access to Exhibits 5 and 8 of the response.
What happened
In Bonacasa v. Standard Chartered PLC, Standard Chartered Bank asked to file Exhibits 5 and 8 under seal as part of its response to the plaintiffs’ request to reconsider an earlier order and reopen fact discovery. The exhibits contained information designated confidential by nonparty Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Standard Chartered Bank took no position on sealing the exhibits. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. supported sealing, saying the materials contained confidential business information about its customer relationships, business analysis, and decision-making concerning a potential project.
Judge Edgardo Ramos granted the motion to file Exhibits 5 and 8 under seal. The order was dated August 21, 2025.
The detailed version
- Bonacasa v. Standard Chartered PLC · No. 1:22-cv-03320
- Edgardo Ramos
- Aug. 21, 2025
Background
Standard Chartered Bank sought permission to file Exhibits 5 and 8 to its August 20, 2025 response under seal. The response concerned the plaintiffs’ motion asking the court to reconsider its July 16, 2025 order and reopen fact discovery. Standard Chartered Bank submitted an under-seal version of a declaration attaching the exhibits and a public version with redacted copies.
Positions
Standard Chartered Bank took no position on whether the exhibits should be sealed. Nonparty Citigroup Global Markets Inc. had designated the declaration discussed in Exhibit 8 and portions of Exhibit 5 as confidential under the protective order. Citigroup argued that the materials contained confidential business information, including customer relationships, business analysis, and decision-making concerning a potential project. It cited cases discussing the limited public-access interest in discovery materials and the protection of confidential business information and nonparty privacy interests.
Ruling
Judge Edgardo Ramos granted the motion to file Exhibits 5 and 8 of Standard Chartered Bank’s August 20, 2025 response under seal. The order does not state any additional limitation on the sealing request.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.