Shukla v. Deloitte Consulting LLP
- Alison Nathan
- 1:19-cv-10578
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Shukla v. Deloitte Consulting LLP, Judge Aaron denied Shukla’s request to seal a letter because he did not adequately justify restricting public access.
Ashu Shukla’s request to restrict public access to his August 10, 2020 letter was denied; the letter remained unsealed according to the opinion.
What happened
In Shukla v. Deloitte Consulting LLP, Ashu Shukla asked the court to seal an August 10, 2020 letter filed in the case. He said the letter contained confidential business information.
The court explained that sealing must be narrowly limited because judicial documents are generally open to the public. It found that Shukla’s general statement was not enough and that the letter repeated allegations and information already available publicly.
Judge Stewart D. Aaron denied Shukla’s motion to seal. The order did not seal the letter.
The detailed version
- Shukla v. Deloitte Consulting LLP · No. 1:19-cv-10578
- Alison Nathan
- Aug. 19, 2020
Background
Ashu Shukla filed a letter dated August 10, 2020, titled “Defendant’s abuse of their Power, Position and Remedies available at the United States Judicial.” He then asked the court to seal that letter, asserting that it contained confidential business information.
Legal standard
The court stated that filing documents under seal must be narrowly tailored and consistent with the presumption that the public may access judicial documents. A general assertion that a filing contains confidential business information is not enough to justify sealing.
Ruling
After reviewing the letter, the court found that it merely repeated allegations and information already available on the public docket. Because Shukla had not provided an adequate basis for sealing, Judge Stewart D. Aaron denied the motion to seal. The opinion does not state that the letter was sealed or that the underlying case was resolved.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.