Ray v. The New 42nd Street, Inc.
- Alvin Hellerstein
- 1:22-cv-04811
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Ray v. The New 42nd Street, Inc., Judge Hellerstein denied the parties’ motion to seal an affidavit and two exhibits.
The parties’ motion to seal was denied, and the plaintiff was instructed to file the affidavit and two exhibits publicly, affecting public access to those court records.
What happened
In Ray v. The New 42nd Street, Inc., the parties asked the court to seal Kevin Ray’s affidavit and two records filed as exhibits.
The court said the parties had not shown an extraordinary circumstance, compelling need, or good cause for keeping those materials from the public.
Judge Hellerstein denied the consent motion to seal, instructed the plaintiff to file the records publicly, and directed the Clerk to terminate the motion.
The detailed version
- Ray v. The New 42nd Street, Inc. · No. 1:22-cv-04811
- Alvin Hellerstein
- July 6, 2023
Background
The parties submitted a letter asking the court to seal Kevin Ray’s affidavit and two records filed as exhibits to it. The parties had agreed to treat the materials as “attorneys eyes only” under their confidentiality agreement.
Court’s reasoning
Judge Hellerstein explained that a confidentiality agreement does not by itself justify restricting public access to court filings. The parties’ letter did not describe an “extraordinary circumstance or compelling need” to seal the materials, and the parties had not shown good cause to support sealing them.
Ruling
The court denied the consent motion to seal. It instructed the plaintiff to file the records publicly and directed the Clerk to terminate ECF No. 26.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.