Roberts et al v. SSM Health Care St. Louis

Filing 5

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER. (see order for details) IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that defendant's motion to file documents under seal [# 4 ] is granted only as follows: the parties may file their settlement agreement and any accompanying confidential exhibi ts under seal. The motion is denied in all other respects. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, as this Court has been advised that this action is settled, no later than October 21, 2013, the parties shall file any motions and proposed Orders for the Court's consideration regarding the final disposition of this matter. Signed by District Judge Catherine D. Perry on 09/20/2013. (CBL)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI
EASTERN DIVISION
MAUREEN ROBERTS and
CHANEL JONES, individually
and on behalf of others similarly
situated,
Plaintiffs,
vs.
SSM HEALTH CARE ST. LOUIS,
Defendant.

)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)

Case No. 4:13 CV 1849 CDP

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
This newly-filed case is before me on defendant’s motion for leave to file documents
under seal. This Fair Labor Standards Act case was settled before it was even filed. However,
because it involves FLSA collective and class claims, the settlement requires final approval by
the Court. Defendant wants to file the joint motion for certification of FLSA collective action
and for certification of Rule 23 class for settlement purposes, the proposed preliminary approval
of class settlement agreement, the proposed notice to the class members, and the class action
settlement agreement and accompanying exhibits under seal. While I will allow the settlement
agreement and any confidential exhibits to be filed under seal, I cannot allow the motions and
proposed orders to be filed under seal. The parties will be asking the Court to sign the proposed
approval and send out notice to class members, which means the documents will be part of the
public file. Therefore, it makes no sense why these documents should be filed under seal. I have
had many of these cases before, and the parties have always filed their motions and proposed
orders as part of the public record, even if the settlement agreement and confidential exhibits

were filed under seal. I am confident that counsel can work together in this case to do the same
here.
Accordingly,
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that defendant’s motion to file documents under seal [#4]
is granted only as follows: the parties may file their settlement agreement and any accompanying
confidential exhibits under seal. The motion is denied in all other respects.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, as this Court has been advised that this action is
settled, no later than October 21, 2013, the parties shall file any motions and proposed Orders
for the Court’s consideration regarding the final disposition of this matter.

CATHERINE D. PERRY
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Dated this 20th day of September, 2013.

-2-