State Farm Fire and Casualty Company et al v. Hood

Filing 129

ORDER granting intervenors' motion to unseal in camera hearing (docket entries 119, 120) Signed by Honorable David C. Bramlette, III on 9/13/2010 (ECW)

-MTP State Farm Fire and Casualty Company et al v. Hood

Doc. 129

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF MISSISSIPPI HATTIESBURG DIVISION STATE FARM FIRE AND CASUALTY COMPANY and STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY VS.

PLAINTIFFS

CIVIL ACTION NO. 2:07-cv-188(DCB)(MTP)

JIM HOOD, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI JACKSON NEW MEDIA, INC.; WLBT, LLC; WDAM, LLC; and WLOX, LLC ORDER

DEFENDANT INTERVENORS

This cause is before the Court on the intervenors' motion to unseal certain proceedings in this case (docket entries 119, 120), specifically, the in camera examination of Courtney Schloemer. The intervenors seek a transcript of an evidentiary hearing held on November 7, 2007, consisting of an in camera examination of Courtney Schloemer, a staff attorney with the Attorney General's office, along with the exhibits thereto. On September 2, 2010,

this Court entered an Order unsealing the settlement agreement in this case. The Court also requested the Attorney General to

confirm the statement in his response to the intervenors' motion as follows: In the alternative, and without waiver of the foregoing position, should the Court be inclined to lift the seal as to any of the undisclosed records, the Attorney General would strongly urge the Court to remove the seal in its entirety, allowing complete public disclosure of both the settlement agreement and the in camera testimony. If, as the Intervenors suggest, there is an

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overriding interest in allowing the public to know what happened in this case, then that interest may only be fulfilled by allowing access to all of the records in this case. Defendant's Response, ¶ 8. The Attorney General has responded to

the Order, requesting that the Court unseal all in camera testimony and exhibits. Accordingly,

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the intervenors' motion to unseal (docket entries 119, 120) is GRANTED as to the in camera testimony of Courtney Schloemer and all exhibits thereto, and the clerk of court is directed to unseal the documents appearing at docket entry 123. The transcript shall be available to the public through the

normal procedure. SO ORDERED, this the 13th day of September, 2010.

/s/ David Bramlette UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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