Huzhou Chuangtai Rongyuan Investment Management Partnership v. Qin

Background The petitioners—Huzhou Chuangtai Rongyuan Investment Management Partnership, Huzhou Huihengying Equity Investment Partnership, and Huzhou Huirongsheng Equity Investment Partnership—requested permission to file certain materials with redactions and other materials under seal. The request accompanied the petitioners’ renewed motion for sanctions against Seiden Law LLP.

Materials at Issue The petitioners sought to redact their memorandum supporting the renewed sanctions motion and to file under seal exhibits to the declaration of Carol Lee. The listed exhibits included bank correspondence, a letter from Seiden to petitioners’ counsel, an image of a credit card, an email to Qin’s counsel, an invoice from Qin’s counsel, and documents containing tax-return information. The petitioners said the materials contained sensitive personal or financial information, including Qin’s bank-account and tax-return information, and that some had been marked confidential under the parties’ stipulated protective order.

Ruling The Court granted the application. The Clerk was directed to maintain docket entry 183 under seal, with access limited to the parties and the Court. The Clerk was also directed to terminate the motion at docket entry 180. Judge Katherine Polk Failla signed the order on June 27, 2023.