Rubalcava v. City Of San Jose
- Beth Freeman
- 5:20-cv-04191
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In Rubalcava v. City of San Jose, Judge Demarchi granted a motion to seal a deposition transcript containing sensitive personal and medical information.
Lionel Rubalcava, the defendants, and members of the public seeking access to the deposition transcript.
What happened
In Rubalcava v. City Of San Jose, Lionel Rubalcava asked the court to seal a transcript of his deposition that was attached to a discovery dispute filing.
Rubalcava said the transcript contained sensitive personal and medical information and other information that could seriously harm him if publicly distributed. The defendants agreed to the request.
Judge Virginia K. Demarchi found good cause under the discovery-sealing rule and granted the motion to seal the deposition transcript.
The detailed version
- Rubalcava v. City Of San Jose · No. 5:20-cv-04191
- Beth Freeman
- May 22, 2023
Background
Lionel Rubalcava moved to seal a transcript of his deposition. The transcript was attached to the parties’ discovery-letter filing concerning his deposition. Rubalcava stated that large portions contained highly sensitive personal and medical information, along with information that could pose a serious risk to him if publicly disseminated. The defendants stipulated to the request.
Legal standard
The court explained that judicial records generally carry a strong presumption of public access. But that presumption is weaker for materials connected to matters only tangentially related to the merits of a case. Because the motion concerned information disclosed during a discovery dispute, and the dispute did not address the merits of the claims or defenses, the court applied the “good cause” standard under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c).
Ruling
The court found good cause to seal the deposition transcript and granted the administrative motion to seal the exhibit to the discovery letter.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.