Conklin v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Sidney Stein
- 1:20-cv-08178
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
Conklin v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Judge Swain granted Defendants’ request to seal or redact exhibits containing medical records.
The plaintiff’s medical records and the parties’ access to Exhibits 2, 41, 55, and 74 were affected. The exhibits remained sealed or redacted, with the sealed materials restricted to selected parties.
What happened
In Conklin v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Defendants asked to seal two exhibits and file redacted versions of two others in connection with their summary-judgment motion. The exhibits contained the plaintiff’s medical records and information about medical diagnoses and treatment.
Defendants argued that sealing was appropriate because of the privacy interests involved in medical records, despite the general presumption that court filings are publicly accessible. The plaintiff consented to the request.
Judge Swain granted the application. She ordered that the sealed exhibits remain restricted to selected parties, and the docket reflects that the request was resolved.
The detailed version
- Conklin v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement · No. 1:20-cv-08178
- Sidney Stein
- Feb. 22, 2022
Background
Defendants U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas requested permission to submit two exhibits under seal and two additional exhibits with redactions. The request concerned exhibits to be filed with Defendants’ summary-judgment motion. The letter states that the plaintiff consented to the request.
The requested restrictions covered Exhibits 2, 41, 55, and 74. According to Defendants, those exhibits contained the plaintiff’s medical records and information about the plaintiff’s diagnoses and treatment. Defendants argued that the privacy interests associated with medical records justified sealing despite the general presumption that court filings should be open to the public. The letter cited decisions discussing that presumption and the treatment of medical records as confidential.
Ruling
The court granted the application for the reasons stated in Defendants’ letter. It ordered that the sealed exhibits, listed at docket entry 61, remain under their existing viewing restriction—access limited to selected parties. The order also stated that docket entry 55 was resolved. The order was signed by Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.