Johnson v. Esports Entertainment Group, Inc.
- Katharine Parker
- 1:22-cv-10861
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Johnson v. Esports Entertainment Group, Judge Parker denied redaction of an on-record conference transcript and directed the Clerk to close the letter motion.
The defendant’s request to restrict public access to the conference transcript was denied, and the parties’ letter motion at ECF No. 87 was closed.
What happened
In Johnson v. Esports Entertainment Group, the parties asked the court to seal or redact the transcript of an August 23, 2023 conference. The conference concerned whether to schedule a settlement conference, and the discussion was conducted on the record.
The court found nothing in the transcript that justified restricting public access to a judicial document. The parties did not discuss settlement demands or disclose a settlement amount, and they knew the discussion was on the record. The defendant therefore did not show a reason strong enough to overcome the public presumption of access.
Judge Katharine H. Parker denied the requested redaction and asked the Clerk of Court to close the letter motion at ECF No. 87.
The detailed version
- Johnson v. Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. · No. 1:22-cv-10861
- Katharine Parker
- Sept. 8, 2023
Background
The court reviewed the parties’ letter requesting that the transcript of their August 23, 2023 conference be sealed. The conference involved scheduling a settlement conference. Counsel explained why they did not want to schedule one at that time, but neither party stated a settlement demand or settlement amount.
Analysis
Judicial documents are generally subject to a presumption of public access. The court concluded that the transcript contained nothing warranting redaction under that presumption. Counsel stated before discussing their reasons that the discussion was on the record and expressed caution about the information they intended to provide. The court distinguished this situation from one involving disclosure of a settlement amount in a hearing transcript.
Ruling
The court held that the defendant had not shown a reason outweighing the public presumption of access and denied the requested redaction. Because the issues in the letter motion had been resolved, the court also respectfully requested that the Clerk of Court close the letter motion at ECF No. 87. The order was issued by Katharine H. Parker, United States Magistrate Judge.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.