In re: AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company
- Jesse Furman
- 1:16-cv-00740
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In re: AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company: Judge Furman granted an application to keep a class-member list under seal.
The absent members of the Illustration-Based Claims Class whose identities and policy numbers appeared in the exhibit, as well as the parties involved in the case.
What happened
In In re: AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, the plaintiff asked the court to seal an exhibit attached to a filing about the effect of an earlier ruling on Wells Fargo’s standing.
The exhibit listed members of the Illustration-Based Claims Class, along with their policy numbers. The plaintiffs said the information was confidential and that sealing would protect absent class members’ privacy.
Judge Jesse Furman granted the application and directed the Clerk of Court to terminate ECF No. 644.
The detailed version
- In re: AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company · No. 1:16-cv-00740
- Jesse Furman
- Sept. 6, 2022
Background
The plaintiff submitted a letter-motion asking the court to seal Exhibit 1 to the declaration of Mark Musico. The exhibit supported the Class Plaintiffs’ memorandum concerning the implications of the court’s ruling on Wells Fargo’s standing.
Request to Seal
Exhibit 1 contained a list of members of the Illustration-Based Claims Class. It identified absent class members and the policies they owned by policy number. The Class Plaintiffs stated that this information was confidential third-party information and had also been designated confidential by AXA under the protective order. They argued that the privacy and confidentiality interests of absent class members supported keeping the exhibit under seal.
Ruling
Judge Jesse Furman granted the application. The order directed the Clerk of Court to terminate ECF No. 644. The opinion does not state any additional conditions on the sealing order.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.