United States Securities and Exchange Commission v. Stone
- Victor Marrero
- 1:22-cv-03553
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In SEC v. Stone, Judge Marrero granted John D. Robson’s request to seal an exhibit containing sensitive personal financial information.
John D. Robson, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the public’s access to Exhibit 2.
What happened
In United States Securities and Exchange Commission v. Stone, John D. Robson asked the court for permission to file Exhibit 2 under seal. The exhibit was an accounting of his assets prepared under a court order.
Robson’s lawyers said the accounting contained sensitive personal financial information. They argued that his privacy interest outweighed the usual presumption that court filings should be public and that sealing the exhibit would not interfere with the judicial process or deprive the public of needed information.
Judge Victor Marrero granted the request. The order states that the Securities and Exchange Commission should have access to the sealed exhibit, but it does not provide further reasoning.
The detailed version
- United States Securities and Exchange Commission v. Stone · No. 1:22-cv-03553
- Victor Marrero
- Sept. 20, 2022
Background
Defendant John D. Robson asked for permission to file Exhibit 2 to a letter under seal. The exhibit was an accounting of Robson’s assets prepared pursuant to a court order. The request stated that the accounting contained sensitive personal financial information specific to Robson.
Request
Robson argued that his privacy interest in the information was sufficient to overcome the presumption that court filings should be publicly accessible. He also argued that sealing the exhibit would not affect the judicial process or deprive the public of information needed to understand the case. The request stated that the Securities and Exchange Commission should receive access to the sealed exhibit if the court granted the request.
Ruling
Judge Victor Marrero granted the request to file Exhibit 2 under seal. The order also states that the Securities and Exchange Commission should have access to the sealed exhibit. The opinion does not give additional explanation for the ruling.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.