Chicco v. First UNUM Life Insurance Company

Nature of the Filing

The supplied document is a letter motion by plaintiff Michelle Chicco asking the court to maintain two exhibits under seal. It cites Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 and the court’s individual practices, as well as a previously entered stipulated confidentiality agreement and protective order.

Documents at Issue

Exhibit A is identified as the 2020 Finance & Operations Report of AmLaw Second 100, issued in June 2021 by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The letter says the report was intended for internal benchmarking and decision-making, was not intended for disclosure to third parties, and could cause commercial harm if competitors obtained it without paying a fee.

Exhibit B consists of retainer agreements for Riemer Hess LLC’s ten most recent hourly-rate clients, including an agreement with a current client in pending litigation. The letter says these agreements contain retainer amounts, fee ranges, and the names of insurance companies administering Riemer Hess clients’ claims.

Arguments for Sealing

The letter argues that Exhibit A contains commercially confidential information and that disclosure could damage Riemer Hess LLC’s relationship with PricewaterhouseCoopers. It argues that Exhibit B contains information implicating attorney-client privilege and highly proprietary material, including client-identifying information and fee terms. The letter relies on decisions discussing the presumption of public access to federal court documents and the court’s discretion to seal documents when good cause exists.

Disposition

The supplied text does not include an order by Judge Denise Cote or state whether the letter motion was granted, denied, or otherwise resolved. Accordingly, the court’s disposition cannot be determined from this text.