Sabic-El-Rayess v. Coll.
- Jesse Furman
- 1:24-cv-02891
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Sabic-El-Rayess v. Tchrs. Coll., Judge Furman granted a request to keep psychological records sealed and related quotations redacted.
Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, Teachers College, Columbia University, and members of the public seeking access to the specified court filings.
What happened
In Sabic-El-Rayess v. Tchrs. Coll., Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess asked to keep two exhibits to her motion to compel under seal and to redact parts of that motion quoting one exhibit.
The exhibits were an expert psychological report and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 test scores and answer sheet. The filing said they contained sensitive information about Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess’s health, mental health, personal history, family, children, symptoms, and psychological-test profile.
Judge Jesse Furman granted the request. The order directed that Exhibits A and C remain under seal and that the related quotations remain redacted; it also directed the Clerk of Court to terminate ECF No. 143.
The detailed version
- Sabic-El-Rayess v. Coll. · No. 1:24-cv-02891
- Jesse Furman
- Nov. 3, 2025
Background
Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess moved to keep Exhibits A and C to her October 30, 2025 letter motion to compel under seal. She also asked to redact portions of that motion that quoted Exhibit A. The filing stated that Exhibit A was an expert report prepared by Dr. Jacqueline Bashkoff, an emotional-distress expert retained by Teachers College, Columbia University. It described the report as containing a psychological evaluation of Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess and sensitive information about her health, mental health, personal history, and family. Exhibit C contained scores and an answer sheet from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2, a psychological test administered to Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess.
Sealing analysis
The filing described the three-part test for sealing judicial documents: whether the records are relevant to the court’s work and therefore carry a presumption of public access; the strength of that presumption; and the balance between public access and competing interests, including privacy. It argued that the records were of little relevance to the court’s work at that stage. It also stated that the records were not publicly available and concerned Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess’s psychological functioning and psychosocial history, including information about her family, children, symptoms, and test profile. The filing asserted that her privacy interest outweighed the public interest in full access.
Ruling
Judge Jesse Furman granted the request. The order directed that Exhibits A and C remain filed under seal and that the portions of Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess’s October 30, 2025 letter motion to compel quoting Exhibit A remain redacted. The order also directed the Clerk of Court to terminate ECF No. 143.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.