TG et al v. Kern County et al
Filing
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ORDER Granting 5 Motion to Proceed Using Initials, signed by District Judge Dale A. Drozd on 3/6/2018. (Gaumnitz, R)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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T.G., by and through his next friend,
TANITA J.; P.P., by and through his
general guardian, REBECCA P.; and J.A.,
on behalf of themselves and all other
similarly situated,
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No. 1:18-cv-00257-DAD-JLT
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO
PROCEED USING INITIALS
Plaintiffs,
(Doc. No. 5)
v.
KERN COUNTY; KERN COUNTY
PROBATION DEPARTMENT; TR
MERICKEL, in his official capacity as
Chief of the Probation Department; KERN
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF
SCHOOLS; and MARY C. BARLOW, in
her official capacity as Superintendent of
Schools,,
Defendants.
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Plaintiffs are minors with various disabilities, proceeding with counsel and challenging
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their conditions of confinement at Kern County juvenile detention facilities pursuant to claims
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brought under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the
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Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. (Doc. No. 1.) On February 23, 2018,
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plaintiffs filed an unopposed motion to proceed using their initials as opposed to their full names.
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(Doc. No. 5.) Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2(a) provides, in relevant part, that “in an
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electronic or paper filing with the court that contains . . . the name of an individual known to be a
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minor . . . a party or nonparty making the filing may include only . . . the minor’s initials.”
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Given the sensitive nature of the allegations and the plain language of Rule 5.2(a), it is
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proper to refer to the minor plaintiffs using only their initials. The court will likewise grant the
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motion to permit the minor plaintiffs’ next friend and general guardian to be referred to using
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only their initials because they are the relatives of minor plaintiffs, and consequently, disclosure
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of the next friend and guardian’s full names could be tantamount to disclosing the minor
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plaintiffs’ full names.1
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
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Dated:
March 6, 2018
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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The order with respect to the use of initials only in referring to plaintiff’s next friend and
guardian is without prejudice to reconsideration should that become appropriate.
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