P. v. Joyce
- John Cronan
- 1:22-cv-09581
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In M.P. v. Joyce, Judge Cronan granted M.P.’s request to file two sensitive exhibits under seal.
M.P., whose psychological and medical exhibits may be filed under seal, and members of the public who otherwise might seek access to those exhibits.
What happened
In M.P. v. Joyce, M.P. asked the court to allow two additional exhibits supporting his habeas petition to be filed under seal, meaning kept from public view. The respondents consented.
The exhibits were a psychological evaluation and a medical affidavit. They contained sensitive information about M.P.’s mental-health diagnoses, treatment recommendations, medical records, and a suicide attempt. They also described information related to M.P.’s withholding-of-removal claim.
The court granted the request and allowed M.P. to file both exhibits under seal. Judge John P. Cronan entered the order on November 22, 2022.
The detailed version
- P. v. Joyce · No. 1:22-cv-09581
- John Cronan
- Nov. 22, 2022
Background
M.P., the petitioner, filed a habeas petition on November 9, 2022. Through counsel, M.P. moved for permission to file two additional supporting exhibits under seal. The respondents consented to the request.
Exhibit F was a 22-page psychological evaluation containing sensitive personal and medical information, including mental-health diagnoses and treatment recommendations. Exhibit G was an affidavit by Allen Keller, M.D., containing detailed medical information from M.P.’s medical records, details about M.P.’s suicide attempt, and treatment recommendations. Both exhibits also included information related to M.P.’s withholding-of-removal claim.
Court’s ruling
The court granted the request. It stated that the highly sensitive and personal nature of the medical, treatment, diagnosis, and immigration-related information outweighed the public’s presumptive right of access to court records. The court ordered that M.P. may file both exhibits under seal, which means they are shielded from public view. Judge John P. Cronan signed the order.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.