Leslie v. City of New York
- Naomi Buchwald
- 1:22-cv-02305
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Leslie v. City of New York, Judge Buchwald authorized city employees to access sealed records to produce non-identifying discovery information.
Shakira Leslie and the defendants are affected by the discovery order. Employees of the New York City Police Department, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the Law Department may access sealed records for the limited purpose stated in the order, while the individuals whose records are sealed are protected from identification in the information produced.
What happened
Leslie v. City of New York concerns information requested by Shakira Leslie in discovery from the City and the other defendants.
The defendants asked for permission to access records sealed under New York law so they could obtain data about their practices. They agreed to provide the information to Leslie’s lawyer without identifying the people whose records were sealed, and Leslie’s lawyer did not object.
Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald ordered employees of the New York City Police Department, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the Law Department to access the sealed records only to obtain and produce non-identifying discovery information.
The detailed version
- Leslie v. City of New York · No. 1:22-cv-02305
- Naomi Buchwald
- Jan. 5, 2024
Background
Shakira Leslie brought this case against the City of New York and officials sued in their official capacities. During discovery—the exchange of information for use in the case—the defendants sought access to records sealed under New York Criminal Procedure Law § 160.50. That law generally seals official records relating to an arrest or prosecution when the criminal matter ends in the accused person’s favor.
The defendants stated that some information Leslie requested could be obtained only by accessing sealed records. They agreed that the data and information provided to Leslie would not identify the people whose records had been sealed. Leslie’s lawyer reviewed and edited the proposed order and did not object to it.
Order
The court entered the proposed order. It authorized employees of the New York City Police Department, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the New York City Law Department to access sealed records solely to obtain and produce non-identifying data and information in discovery. The order noted that the state sealing law does not bind federal courts.
Result
The order addressed access to sealed records for discovery and did not decide the underlying claims in the case.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.