L.G.C. v. Decker
- Katherine Failla
- 1:21-cv-08800
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In L.G.C. v. Decker, Judge Failla granted the Government’s request to seal medical submissions and terminated the related motion.
L.G.C. and the Government in the immigration detention case; the sealed submissions are accessible only to the Court and the parties.
What happened
L.G.C. v. Decker is an immigration detention case in which the Government asked to file two declarations and medical records under seal. The request was made with the petitioner’s consent.
The Government said the documents contained medical diagnoses, treatment information, and records from the detention facility. It argued that the petitioner’s privacy interests justified sealing the documents despite the usual presumption that court filings are publicly accessible.
Judge Katherine Polk Failla granted the application. She directed the Clerk of Court to file the Government’s submissions at docket numbers 14 and 15 under seal, accessible only to the Court and the parties, and to terminate the pending motion at docket number 13.
The detailed version
- L.G.C. v. Decker · No. 1:21-cv-08800
- Katherine Failla
- Nov. 16, 2021
Background
The Government, which represents the government in this immigration detention matter, asked for permission to file two declarations and the petitioner’s medical records under seal. The Government said the materials included information about L.G.C.’s medical diagnoses and treatment, as well as records from the detention facility. The request was made with the petitioner’s consent.
Request to Seal
The Government explained that the Court’s filing system appeared to require a court order authorizing sealed filings, even though the Court’s individual rules did not require prior permission for certain documents, including medical records. The Government argued that sealing was appropriate because medical records implicate personal privacy interests, despite the general presumption that court filings should be publicly accessible.
Ruling
Judge Katherine Polk Failla granted the application. The Court directed the Clerk of Court to file the Government’s submissions at docket numbers 14 and 15 under seal, making them viewable only to the Court and the parties. The Court also directed the Clerk to terminate the pending motion at docket number 13. The order did not decide the underlying immigration or detention issues.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.