S.D.N.Y. Orders Redactions In Summary Judgment Exhibits for PII Covered by GDPR

This past week, Judge Ronnie Abrams issued a decision, Letchford v. Scotwork (N. Am.), Inc., 19-CV-8921, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 221770 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 24, 2020) granting the parties' joint motion to seal exhibits for their summary judgment motions.

The parties requested permission to redact personal information (email addresses, telephone numbers, and home addresses) of Scotwork employees who were EU citizens pursuant to the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation. The Court determined that even though there was a strong presumption of access, since the documents were relevant for the Court's judicial function, it found limited redactions could be made since the personal information was not necessary or helpful to deciding the summary judgment motion. "Court thus finds that the parties' interest in maintaining the confidentiality of Defendants' employees' personal information sufficient to rebut the common-law presumption of access." Id. at *3.