Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_13-cv-03276/USCOURTS-cand-4_13-cv-03276-15/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Civil Rights Act

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

A.C.,

Plaintiff,

v.

CITY OF SANTA CLARA, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 13-cv-03276-HSG 

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND 

DENYING IN PART DEFENDANTS' 

MOTION TO SEAL

Re: Dkt. No. 76

On May 28, 2015, Defendants City of Santa Clara, Mike Horn, Nathan Crescini, Josh 

Higgins, Frank Hagg, Troy Cardin, and Kurt Clarke (collectively, “Defendants”) filed an 

administrative motion to file under seal certain exhibits attached to their motion for summary 

judgment. Dkt. No. 76 (“Mot.”). The time to file an opposition to the motion to seal has passed.

I. LEGAL STANDARD

“[A] ‘compelling reasons’ standard applies to most judicial records. This standard derives 

from the common law right ‘to inspect and copy public records and documents, including judicial 

records and documents.’” Pintos v. Pac. Creditors Ass’n, 605 F.3d 665, 678 (9th Cir. 2010) 

(quoting Nixon v. Warner Commc’ns, Inc., 435 U.S. 589, 597 & n.7). “[A] ‘strong presumption in 

favor of access’ is the starting point.” Kamakana v. City & Cnty. of Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 

1178 (9th Cir. 2006) (quoting Foltz v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 331 F.3d 1122, 1135 (9th 

Cir. 2003)). To overcome this strong presumption, the party seeking to seal a judicial record 

related to a dispositive motion must “articulate compelling reasons supported by specific factual 

findings that outweigh the general history of access and the public policies favoring disclosure, 

such as the public interest in understanding the judicial process” and “significant public events.” 

Id. at 1178-79 (internal citations, quotation marks, and alterations omitted). “In general, 

‘compelling reasons’ sufficient to outweigh the public’s interest in disclosure and justify sealing 

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court records exist when such ‘court files might have become a vehicle for improper purposes,’ 

such as the use of records to gratify private spite, promote public scandal, circulate libelous 

statements, or release trade secrets.” Id. at 1179 (citing Nixon, 435 U.S. at 598). “The mere fact 

that the production of records may lead to a litigant’s embarrassment, incrimination, or exposure 

to further litigation will not, without more, compel the court to seal its records.” Id.

The court must “balance the competing interests of the public and the party who seeks to 

keep certain judicial records secret. After considering these interests, if the court decides to seal 

certain judicial records, it must base it decision on a compelling reason and articulate the factual 

basis for its ruling, without relying on hypothesis or conjecture.” Id. at 1179. Civil Local Rule 

79-5 supplements the compelling reasons standard set forth in Kamakana: the party seeking to file 

a document or portions of it under seal must “establish[] that the document, or portions thereof, 

are privileged, protectable as a trade secret or otherwise entitled to protection under the law. . . . 

The request must be narrowly tailored to seek sealing only of sealable material.” Civil L.R. 79-

5(b).

Records attached to nondispositive motions are not subject to the strong presumption of 

access. See Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1179. Because the documents attached to nondispositive 

motions “are often unrelated, or only tangentially related, to the underlying cause of action,” 

parties moving to seal must meet the lower “good cause” standard of Rule 26(c) of the Federal 

Rules of Civil Procedure. Id. at 1179–80 (internal quotation marks omitted). The “good cause” 

standard requires a “particularized showing” that “specific prejudice or harm will result” if the 

information is disclosed. Phillips ex rel. Estates of Byrd v. Gen. Motors Corp., 307 F.3d 1206, 

1210–11 (9th Cir. 2002) (internal quotation marks omitted); see Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c). “Broad 

allegations of harm, unsubstantiated by specific examples of articulated reasoning” will not 

suffice. Beckman Indus., Inc. v. Int’l Ins. Co., 966 F.2d 470, 476 (9th Cir. 1992).

Because Defendants’ motion for summary judgment is a dispositive motion, the Court 

applies the “compelling reasons” standard to Defendants’ request to file certain exhibits attached

to that motion under seal.

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II. DISCUSSION

Defendants base their motion to seal on the contention that “[t]he exhibits meet the 

definition of ‘confidential’ documents as defined in the protective order, as they are juvenile court 

records[,] . . . medical and mental health records from when [Plaintiff A.C.] was a minor[,] and 

confidential cell phone records containing information about Plaintiff A.C. when he was a minor 

as well as third party minors.” Mot. at 2. Defendants seek to redact the entirety of the exhibits.

The fact that all of the exhibits at issue here are “confidential” under the terms of the 

protective order does not excuse Defendants from fully complying with Civil Local Rule 79-5 

when seeking to file documents under seal. See Dkt. No. 36 ¶ 1 (“The parties further acknowledge 

. . . that this Stipulated Protective Order does not entitle them to file confidential information 

under seal; Civil Local Rule 79-5 set[s] forth the procedures that must be followed and the 

standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the court to file material under 

seal.”). As to exhibits A (police reports), B (cell phone records), and H (police officer training 

records), the Court finds that Defendants have not carried their burden of articulating “compelling 

reasons supported by specific factual findings that outweigh the general history of access and the 

public policies favoring disclosure.” Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1178. Furthermore, the proposed 

redaction of exhibits A, B, and H in their entirety does not appear “narrowly tailored” to seal only 

sealable material, as required by Civil Local Rule 79-5. The Court therefore DENIES the motion 

as to exhibits A, B, and H. Defendants may file an amended motion to seal those exhibits that 

comports with the above-described requirements. The Court encourages Defendants to cite to 

specific case law in support of any amended request to seal. If Defendants do not file an amended 

motion, the Court will not consider exhibits A, B, and H unless unredacted versions are filed 

within seven days of the date of this Order. See Civ. L.R. 79-5(f)(2).

As to exhibits L (medical records) and P (juvenile court records), however, the Court finds 

that compelling confidentiality concerns outweigh the presumption of public access to court 

records. See Ray v. Basa, No. 11-cv-02923-YGR, 2014 WL 2569040, at *2 (N.D. Cal. May 7, 

2014) (granting motion to file juvenile court records under seal); San Ramon Reg’l Med. Ctr., Inc. 

v. Principal Life Ins. Co., No. 10-cv-02258-SBA, 2011 WL 89931, at *1 n.1 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 10, 

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2011) (finding that confidentiality of medical records under the Health Insurance Portability and 

Accountability Act of 1996 outweighed Kamakana presumption in favor of public access to court 

records). Accordingly, the Court GRANTS the motion to seal as to exhibits L and P.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated:

______________________________________

HAYWOOD S. GILLIAM, JR.

United States District Judge

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