Opinion
No. 1:00MC00118
June 14, 2001
John W. Stone, Jr., [COR LD NTC], Office of U.S. Attorney, for plaintiff.
Daniel R. Taylor, Jr., [COR LD NTC] and Mark Andrew Stafford [COR LD NTC], of Kilpatrick Stockton, L.L.P. for movants.
ORDER
This matter is before the court on the motion of two individuals (the "Movants") to place documents under seal. After docketing the motion reasonably in advance of deciding the issue to give notice to the public and press, and with the consent of the Assistant United States Attorney acting as Commissioner for this proceeding, the court finds:
1. The Movants have requested that the court place under seal the following documents: Memorandum of Law in Support of Joint Motion to Quash Subpoenas and for a Protective Order [Doc. #7]; Declaration in Support of the Joint Motion to Quash Subpoenas [Doc. #8]; and Brief in Support of Motion to Place Documents Under Seal [Doc. #10]
2. No person has indicated a desire to voice an objection to the sealing of these documents.
3. These documents contain confidential information regarding Movants' work relationships and other personal matters.
4. The Memorandum of Law in Support of Joint Motion to Quash Subpoenas and for a Protective Order [Doc. #7] and Declaration of in Support of Joint Motion to Quash Subpoenas [Doc. #8] relate to discovery which is ordinarily conducted in private.
5. Unlike a summary judgment motion or sentencing hearing, a decision on these motions does not adjudicate substantive rights and serve as a substitute for a trial or an integral part of a trial.
6. Movants have not been indicted. These proceedings, however, insinuate criminal activity and Movants have no opportunity to prove their innocence.
7. Minimal redaction of the documents would not effectively protect the privacy interests of the Movants. If sufficiently redacted to protect the Movants' privacy interests, the documents would be so abstract as to render them valueless.
8. Sealing the documents is the only means of effectively protecting the privacy interests of the Movants.
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the Memorandum of Law in Support of Joint Motion to Quash Subpoenas and for a Protective Order [Doc. #7], Declaration in Support of the Joint Motion to Quash Subpoenas [Doc. #8], and Brief in Support of Motion to Place Documents Under Seal [Doc. #10] BE PLACED UNDER SEAL and kept confidential indefinitely.