Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_20-cv-00392/USCOURTS-cand-3_20-cv-00392-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 791
Nature of Suit: Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
Cause of Action: 29:1132 E.R.I.S.A.: Employee Benefits

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JOHN DOE,

Plaintiff,

v.

LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF 

NORTH AMERICA, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 20-cv-00392-JD 

ORDER RE PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO 

PROCEED UNDER PSEUDONYM

Re: Dkt. No. 3

The Court has reviewed plaintiff’s request to proceed with this action under a fictitious 

name. Dkt. No. 3. The request is granted on a preliminary basis. 

Our federal courts have a strong tradition of transparent litigation. See Does I thru XXIII v. 

Advanced Textile Corp., 214 F.3d 1058, 1067 (2000) (the “use of fictitious names runs afoul of the 

public’s common law right of access to judicial proceedings, and Rule 10(a)’s command that the 

title of every complaint ‘include the names of all the parties.’”) (citations omitted). The Court is

consequently unwilling to permanently grant broad anonymity to the plaintiff at this stage of the 

case, when no defendant has been served or has appeared. 

Plaintiff may proceed with the service of his complaint under a pseudonym. If he wishes 

to maintain that status, he may renew his request in an administrative motion filed with notice to 

defendants, within 21 days of effectuating service. The Court will then re-visit the matter after 

defendants have had an opportunity to respond to plaintiff’s request.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: March 6, 2020

JAMES DONATO

United States District Judge

Case 3:20-cv-00392-JD Document 11 Filed 03/06/20 Page 1 of 1