The Travelers Indem. Co., et al. v. Northrup Grumman Corp., et al.

Background

The underlying action is described as an insurance-coverage dispute involving Travelers Indemnity Company, Northrup Grumman Corporation, and nominal defendant Century Indemnity Company. The dispute concerns alleged contamination of land and groundwater around Grumman’s facilities, including a plant and community park in Bethpage, New York.

Newsday LLC submitted an application asking the court to unseal filings connected to the parties’ summary-judgment motions. Newsday argued that the filings—including motion briefs, statements of material facts, affidavits, and exhibits—were subject to a strong common-law presumption of public access and a First Amendment right of access. Newsday also argued that the parties’ confidentiality designations and the existing sealing orders did not satisfy the standards for restricting access.

The application materials asserted that numerous filings were sealed or heavily redacted based on designations under a stipulated protective order. The opinion text contains Newsday’s arguments but does not state that the court adopted them or decide the ultimate merits of unsealing the records.

Ruling

The court stated: “Application DENIED.” It nevertheless permitted Newsday LLC to file a motion to intervene in the action for the purpose of seeking to unseal the records at issue. The court required that the motion identify the records sought with specificity and explain the basis for the delay in seeking intervention.

The court set November 26, 2025, as the deadline for Newsday’s motion and December 12, 2025, as the deadline for any response. The ruling therefore denied the application presented in the letter but established a procedural route for Newsday to pursue its unsealing request. It did not, based on the provided text, order any records unsealed or decide the parties’ underlying insurance dispute. Judge Lorna G. Schofield signed the order.