Jarillo v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company

Filing 21

ORDER granting 18 Joint Motion to File the Administrative Record Under Seal. Signed by Judge Michael M. Anello on 12/7/2016. (kcm)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

8

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

9
10

Case No.: 15cv2677-MMA (BLM)

MARIFE S. JARILLO,

11
12
13

v.
RELIANCE STANDARD LIFE
INSURANCE COMPANY,

14

[Doc. No. 18]

Defendant.

15
16

ORDER GRANTING JOINT
MOTION TO FILE THE
ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD
UNDER SEAL

Plaintiff,

This action generally arises under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act

17

of 1974 (“ERISA”). 29 U.S.C. §§ 1001 et seq. Pursuant to ERISA section 502, a

18

beneficiary or plan participant may sue in federal court “to recover benefits due to him

19

under the terms of his plan, to enforce his rights under the terms of the plan, or to clarify

20

his rights to future benefits under the terms of the plan.” 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(1)(B). On

21

December 5, 2016, the parties filed a joint motion to file the administrative record in this

22

action under seal. See Doc. No. 18.

23

A court may seal dispositive documents upon a showing of “compelling reasons”

24

to seal. Kamakana v. City and Cnty. Of Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1179 (9th Cir. 2006).

25

The compelling reasons must be “supported by specific factual findings that outweigh the

26

general history of access and the public policies favoring disclosure, such as the public

27

interest in understanding the judicial process.” Id. (internal citations and quotations

28

omitted).
-1-

15cv2677-MMA (BLM)

1

Here, the administrative record involves Plaintiff Marife Jarillo’s (“Plaintiff”)

2

medical conditions and the propriety of Defendant Reliance Standard Life Insurance

3

Company’s (“Defendant”) decisions concerning Plaintiff’s claim for further disability

4

benefits. The record includes repeated references to Plaintiff’s name and other

5

identifiers, as well as sensitive information of a personal nature that deserves

6

confidentiality. The record contains this information listed throughout, making redaction

7

impractical. Moreover, the parties jointly request the administrative record be filed under

8

seal. Thus, the Court finds compelling reasons exist for the information contained in the

9

record to remain private.

10

Accordingly, the Court GRANTS the joint motion and ORDERS that the

11

administrative record is hereby filed under seal. The Clerk of Court is instructed to file

12

the administrative record, bates stamped RS000001 through RS004604 (Doc. No. 19),

13

and the DVD video footage included as part of the administrative record, as a sealed

14

document on the case docket. With regards to the DVD, the parties must file a Notice of

15

Lodgment in person at the Clerk’s Office and produce the DVD to ensure it becomes part

16

of the Court’s record.

17

The administrative record and DVD will remain under seal unless and until this

18

Court orders otherwise. To the extent that either party’s trial briefs rely on documents in

19

the administrative record that do not disclose Plaintiff’s personal identifying information,

20

those documents shall be filed in the public record as separate exhibits, in addition to

21

being lodged with the Court.

22
23

IT IS SO ORDERED.

24
25
26
27

Dated: December 7, 2016

_____________________________
HON. MICHAEL M. ANELLO
United States District Judge

28
-2-

15cv2677-MMA (BLM)