Swett Urquieta v. Bowe
- Paul Engelmayer
- 1:24-cv-01379
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Swett Urquieta v. Bowe, Judge Engelmayer approved redactions protecting a nonparty child’s sensitive personal information.
Respondent John Francis Bowe, the petitioners, and the nonparty child S.B.S.; the public docket is affected because portions of an exhibit list may be redacted.
What happened
Maria Elena Swett Urquieta v. John Francis Bowe involved a request to redact parts of Respondent Bowe’s exhibit list before it was filed publicly. The proposed redactions concerned highly personal information about the nonparty child S.B.S. and related to the grave-risk defense.
Bowe’s attorneys argued that the exhibit list was a court document presumed to be publicly accessible, but that the child’s privacy and safety interests justified limited redactions. The petitioners joined the request.
The court ordered the request, approving the proposed redactions. Judge Paul Engelmayer issued the order on April 9, 2024.
The detailed version
- Swett Urquieta v. Bowe · No. 1:24-cv-01379
- Paul Engelmayer
- Apr. 9, 2024
Background
Respondent John Francis Bowe asked for permission to redact portions of his exhibit list before filing it on the public docket. The proposed redactions concerned highly personal information about S.B.S., a child who was identified as a nonparty, and information related to the grave-risk defense. The petitioners joined the application.
Parties’ Position
Bowe’s counsel acknowledged that the exhibit list was a judicial document subject to a presumption of public access. Counsel argued that countervailing privacy interests—particularly the protection of sensitive personal information involving a child—supported the requested redactions. The letter cited decisions allowing redaction of a child’s information to protect privacy and safety.
Ruling
The court marked the application “SO ORDERED” on April 9, 2024. The order therefore approved the requested redactions to the exhibit list. The opinion does not provide additional limits or conditions on the redactions.
Classification
This is a procedural order concerning access to and redaction of a court filing. It does not decide the underlying dispute or the grave-risk defense.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.