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S.D.N.Y.Procedural orderFiled July 12, 2021

Kassman v. KPMG LLP

Judge
Lorna Schofield
Docket
1:11-cv-03743
Court
U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
Pages
3
Civil Procedure
In one sentence

In Kassman v. KPMG LLP, Judge Schofield granted KPMG’s motion to seal a conference transcript to protect personal information.

Who this affects

The parties and individuals identified in the Appendix, including KPMG LLP and the listed counsel, as well as members of the public seeking access to the unredacted transcript.

What happened

In Kassman v. KPMG LLP, the court addressed KPMG’s request to seal portions of the transcript from a June 17, 2021, pre-motion conference. KPMG filed the motion on July 9, 2021.

The court explained that public access to court documents is important but not absolute. It found that filing the transcript in redacted form was necessary to prevent unauthorized disclosure of personal information.

Judge Schofield granted KPMG’s motion to seal. The unredacted transcript will remain sealed, and only the parties and individuals listed in the attached appendix may access it. The clerk was directed to close the motion.

The detailed version

For law students, journalists, and other readers who want the full reasoning

Case
Kassman v. KPMG LLP · No. 1:11-cv-03743
Judge
Lorna Schofield
Date
July 12, 2021

Background

A pre-motion conference was held on June 17, 2021. On July 9, 2021, KPMG LLP moved to seal portions of the conference transcript. The motion was filed at Docket No. 1008.

Court’s Analysis

The court stated that the public’s common-law right to access judicial documents is not absolute. Courts must balance that presumption of access against competing considerations. The court found that filing the referenced transcript in redacted form was necessary to prevent unauthorized dissemination of personal information.

Ruling

Judge Lorna G. Schofield granted KPMG’s motion to seal. The unredacted versions of the transcript at Docket Nos. 1004 and 1009 will remain sealed. Access is limited to the parties and individuals identified in the attached Appendix. The clerk was directed to close the motion at Docket No. 1008.

The authoritative version

Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.

Open opinion PDF →
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