Opinion ID: 434929
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Presumption of Access to Court Records

Text: 18 Continental does not argue, and at this late date could not argue, that the long-recognized presumption in favor of public access to judicial records does not exist. The public's right of access to judicial records has been characterized as fundamental to a democratic state[.] United States v. Mitchell, 551 F.2d 1252, 1258 (D.C.Cir.1976), rev'd on other grounds sub nom. Nixon v. Warner Communications, Inc., 435 U.S. 589, 98 S.Ct. 1306, 55 L.Ed.2d 570 (1978), quoted in United States v. Edwards, 672 F.2d 1289, 1294 (7th Cir.1982). Recently, we recognized that this presumption is of constitutional magnitude. See United States v. Dorfman, 690 F.2d at 1233-34. Accord, Associated Press v. District Court, 705 F.2d 1143, 1145 (9th Cir.1983) (first amendment right of access to pretrial documents); In re San Juan Star, supra, (same). 19 Most of the cases recognizing the presumption of access relate to the right of the public (and press) to attend criminal proceedings and to obtain documents used in criminal cases. See, e.g., Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court, --- U.S. ----, 104 S.Ct. 819, 78 L.Ed.2d 629 (1984); Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court, 457 U.S. 596, 102 S.Ct. 2613, 73 L.Ed.2d 248 (1982); United States v. Dorfman, supra; United States v. Edwards, supra. However, we agree with the Sixth Circuit that the policy reasons for granting public access to criminal proceedings apply to civil cases as well. See Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. v. FTC, 710 F.2d 1165, 1179 (6th Cir.1983). See also Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Virginia, 448 U.S. 555, 580, 100 S.Ct. 2814, 2829, 65 L.Ed.2d 973 (1982) (opinion of Burger, C.J.); id. at 596, 100 S.Ct. at 2838 (opinion of Brennan, J.); id. at 599, 100 S.Ct. at 2839 (opinion of Stewart, J.). These policies relate to the public's right to monitor the functioning of our courts, thereby insuring quality, honesty and respect for our legal system. 9 See Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court, 104 S.Ct. at 823-24; Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court, 457 U.S. at 606, 102 S.Ct. at 2620; See also Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. v. FTC, 710 F.2d at 1179; Crystal Grower's Corp. v. Dobbins, 616 F.2d 458, 461 (10th Cir.1980). 20 Continental has utterly failed to convince us that the presumption of access does not apply to the proceedings in the district court and to the evidence offered in support of its motion to terminate the derivative claims. 10 Continental argues that there is no recognized right of public access to pretrial proceedings in civil cases. 11 Without commenting on the correctness of Continental's position as a general matter, we cannot agree that the presumption does not apply to a motion to terminate. Continental's motion was designed to (and did) result in the dismissal of claims against several defendants. The district court was required to make complex factual and legal determinations in a proceeding which has been characterized as a hybrid summary judgment motion. Zapata Corp. v. Maldonado, 430 A.2d at 787. 12 We hold, therefore, that the presumption of access applies to the hearings held and evidence introduced in connection with Continental's motion to terminate. 21 We further find, for several reasons, that Continental's withdrawal of the motion is immaterial to whether the presumption of access applies to the Report. It is significant that the motion was withdrawn at least consistently with the district court's tentative impressions which, as we have previously observed, were very unlikely to change to a position more congruent with the recommendations of the Report. Continental had put on its entire case, and it withdrew the motion to terminate only after the district court announced that, with respect to certain Bank officer defendants and the outside auditors, Continental had failed to meet its burden. Further, the motion was not withdrawn until after the plaintiffs agreed to dismiss those defendants with respect to whom Continental had met its burden. Thus, despite Continental's arguments to the contrary, the practical effect of Judge Grady's announcement of his tentative impressions was much the same as a ruling on the motion. We therefore find that all of the policies favoring public scrutiny of judicial decision-making apply to this case. 13 Further, the presumption of access normally involves a right of contemporaneous access: disclosure of the contents of the Report would have been proper at the time the motion was still pending. See In re Oliver, 333 U.S. 257, 270, 68 S.Ct. 499, 506, 92 L.Ed. 682 (1948); United States v. Dorfman, 690 F.2d at 1232; United States v. Myers, 635 F.2d 945, 952 (2d Cir.1980). 22