Italgrani Elevator Company v. International Longshoreman's Associations, Local 1765 AFL-CIO

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION ITALGRANI ELEVATOR COMPANY, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) No. 4:22-CV-1385 RLW ) INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMAN’S ) ASSOCIATION LOCAL 1765 AFL-CIO, ) ) Defendant. ) MEMORANDUM AND ORDER This matter is before the Court on Italgrani Elevator Company’s Motion for Leave to File Under Seal. (ECF No. 2). The Court will grant the motion for the reasons below. “[T]here is ‘a common-law right of access to judicial records.’” Webster Groves Sch. Dist. v. Pulitzer Pub. Co., 898 F.2d 1371, 1376 (8th Cir. 1990) (quoting Nixon v. Warner Commc'ns, Inc., 435 U.S. 589, 597 (1978)). “This right of access is not absolute,” however, “but requires a weighing of competing interests.” Id. When this common-law right is implicated, the Eighth Circuit “give[s] deference to the trial court rather than taking the approach of some circuits and recognizing a ‘strong presumption’ favoring access.” Id. (quoting United States v. Webbe, 791 F.2d 103, 106 (8th Cir. 1986)). Whether sealing is warranted turns on “the relevant facts and circumstances of the particular case.” Warner Commc’ns, 435 U.S. at 599 . The Court “must consider the degree to which sealing a judicial record would interfere with the interests served by the common-law right of access and balance that interference against the salutary interests served by maintaining confidentiality of the information sought to be sealed.” IDT Corp. v. eBay, 709 F.3d 1220, 1223 (8th Cir. 2013). In the Eight Circuit, “only the most compelling reasons can justify non-disclosure of judicial records.” In re Neal, 461 F.3d 1048, 1053 (8th Cir. 2006) (internal quotation marks omitted). “A proper motion to seal should be narrowly drawn and accompanied by a proposed redacted filing for the public docket.” United States v. Garner, 39 F.4th 1023, 1024 (8th Cir. 2022) (finding a motion to file under seal overly broad where the party wished to seal an entire motion without any justification). Here, Italgrani seeks to seal two documents containing medical information about a nonparty grievant. (ECF No. 2). Italgrani argues that medical information of a non-party is highly confidential and is not relevant to the instant proceeding. (ECF No. 3 at 2). The Court agrees. At this stage, the grievant’s medical condition is not at issue. Put another way, it is not a factor in determining whether the Court should confirm the arbitration award. Thus, the sealing of the documents in question will not interfere with interests served by the common-law right of access. Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that on Italgrani Elevator Company’s Motion for Leave to File Under Seal is GRANTED. (ECF No. 2). Ronnies ol. Lihite erie UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE Dated this 20th day of January, 2023.