McCulloch v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company
- Susan Illston
- 3:19-cv-07716
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In McCulloch v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company, Judge Illston granted motions allowing specified trial materials and exhibits to be filed under seal.
The parties, whose specified documents may be filed under seal, and the public, whose access to those materials is limited.
What happened
McCulloch v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company involved the parties’ requests to keep certain court filings and exhibits confidential. The requests concerned portions of trial briefs, proposed findings and legal conclusions, and several exhibits.
The court said documents may be sealed when compelling reasons outweigh the public’s interest in seeing court records. It found that standard met for the specified materials, including confidential business and financial information.
The court granted the motions and allowed the listed portions and exhibits to be filed under seal. Judge Susan Illston issued the order on February 23, 2022.
The detailed version
- McCulloch v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company · No. 3:19-cv-07716
- Susan Illston
- Feb. 23, 2022
Background
The parties filed administrative motions asking the court to place certain documents under seal. The opinion identifies Docket Nos. 124, 125, 126, and 127. The materials included portions of the parties’ trial briefs and findings of fact and conclusions of law, as well as several exhibits.
Legal standard
The court explained that a party seeking to seal a judicial record must show “compelling reasons” that outweigh the public’s interest in disclosure. Confidential business and financial information—such as financial terms of agreements, business strategies, and confidential negotiations—can qualify for sealing.
Ruling
After reviewing the documents and considering the reasons offered for sealing against the public’s interest in access, the court granted the motions. It permitted the following materials to be filed under seal:
- Hartford Trial Brief at page 12, line 15. - Hartford Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law at page 5, line 25, and page 6, line 3. - McCulloch Trial Brief at page 6, line 16; pages 8, line 9 through 9, line 9; pages 9, lines 13–16; pages 10, lines 15–18; and page 12, lines 10–13. - McCulloch Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law at page 4, line 7; page 5, line 20 through page 6, line 18; page 6, lines 19–25; page 7, lines 16–21; page 9, lines 7–16; and page 15, lines 13–15. - Exhibit 15, “Premium History Summary Report.” - Exhibit 16, “Salary Administration and Job Evaluation Policy.” - Exhibit 17, “BB&T Yellow Salary Range Charts.” - Exhibit 18, “Promotions & Corporate Titles Policy.”
Judge Susan Illston signed the order dated February 23, 2022.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.