Martinez Roman v. Decker
- John Koeltl
- 1:20-cv-03752
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Martinez Roman v. Decker, Judge Koeltl granted the government's request to seal the petitioner's medical records.
The petitioner, whose medical records may be filed under seal, and the government, which requested permission to seal them.
What happened
Martinez Roman v. Decker is an immigration detention case in which the government asked to file the petitioner's medical records from the Orange County Jail under seal.
The government argued that sealing was appropriate because medical records are private, even though court filings are generally presumed to be open. The petitioner's counsel did not oppose the request.
Judge Koeltl granted the application, allowing the medical records to be filed under seal.
The detailed version
- Martinez Roman v. Decker · No. 1:20-cv-03752
- John Koeltl
- June 3, 2020
Background The government represented that its response to the immigration detention petition was due on June 3, 2020. It asked for permission to file the petitioner's medical records from the Orange County Jail under seal, meaning they would not be publicly available through the court's electronic filing system.
Arguments The government acknowledged the general presumption that court filings are accessible to the public. It argued that sealing was appropriate because of the privacy interests involved in medical records. The government cited decisions permitting courts to seal medical records, including decisions discussing the confidential treatment of such records under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The petitioner's counsel did not oppose the request.
Ruling Judge John G. Koeltl granted the application. The order therefore permitted the government to file the petitioner's medical records under seal. The opinion does not address the merits of the immigration detention petition.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.