Court filing
MOTION to File Documents Under Seal — Bofa Ca Unemployment (Dkt. 418)
Summary
Bank of America, N.A.'s unopposed motion to seal portions of the transcript of the January 17, 2025 class certification hearing, in In re Bank of America California Unemployment Benefits Litigation, Case No. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, filed 02/12/25 as Document 418 (6 pages). The parties agreed at the hearing to propose redactions and have agreed on the portions to seal, highlighted in an exhibit lodged under seal. The bank notes the court largely granted earlier sealing motions on its fraud detection strategies, analysis of claims fraud and remediation plans with regulators. It argues the transcript portions draw on those sealed materials and could cause competitive harm or enable future fraud.
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Cite this document
“MOTION to File Documents Under Seal — Bofa Ca Unemployment (Dkt. 418).”
Original at ecf.casd.uscourts.gov, No. 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB, Doc. 418. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/court-filings/full-docket-bofa-ca-unemployment-casd-709615/2025-02-12-gov-uscourts-casd-709615-418-0-gov-uscourts-casd-709615-418-0/
, SHA-256 270161cc1d95af7d457eb4e4e8a9fe2b54f144e9f4031655ec83d3bd2e44fed4.Full text
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 418 Filed 02/12/25 PageID.25512 Page
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1 JAMES W. MCGARRY (pro hac vice)
JMcGarry@goodwinlaw.com
2 GOODWIN PROCTER LLP
100 Northern Avenue
3 Boston, MA 02210
Tel.: +1 617 570 1000
4 Fax: +1 617 523 1231
5 SABRINA M. ROSE-SMITH (pro hac
vice)
6 SRoseSmith@goodwinlaw.com
MATTHEW L. RIFFEE (pro hac vice)
7 MRiffee@goodwinlaw.com
GOODWIN PROCTER LLP
8 1900 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
9 Tel.: +1 202 346 4000
Fax: +1 202 346 4444
10
Attorneys for Defendant
11 BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
12 [ADDITIONAL COUNSEL LISTED IN
SIGNATURE BLOCK]
13
UNITED STATED DISTRICT COURT
14
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
15 SAN DIEGO DIVISION
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IN RE: BANK OF AMERICA Case No. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB
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CALIFORNIA UNEMPLOYMENT DEFENDANT’S UNOPPOSED
18 BENEFITS LITIGATION MOTION TO SEAL PORTIONS OF
CLASS CERTIFICATION
19 HEARING TRANSCRIPT
20
Ctrm: 2D – 2nd Floor
21 Judge: Hon. Gonzalo P. Curiel
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UNOPPOSED MOTION TO SEAL CLASS CASE NO. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB
CERTIFICATION HEARING TRANSCRIPT
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 418 Filed 02/12/25 PageID.25513 Page
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1 PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that, pursuant to Local Civil Rule 79.2(c),
2 Defendant Bank of America, N.A. (“Defendant” or “BANA”) hereby submits this
3 Unopposed Motion to Seal Portions of the Class Certification Hearing Transcript as
4 set forth in the concurrently lodged under seal Exhibit A to this Motion. In particular,
5 BANA seeks to seal, and Plaintiffs do not oppose the sealing of, portions of the
6 transcript (the “Hearing Transcript” or “Hr’g Tr.”) of the January 17, 2025 hearing
7 on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Class Certification (the “Hearing”) because compelling
8 reasons support sealing of those portions of the Hearing Transcript.
9 At the Hearing, both BANA and Plaintiffs (together, the “Parties”) agreed in
10 open court to submit a proposal for sealing of the Hearing Transcript in accordance
11 with the guidance set forth in the Court’s prior sealing orders. See, e.g., Hr’g Tr. at
12 56:7-57:14. Consistent with the Parties’ representations at the Hearing, the Parties
13 subsequently met and conferred regarding which portions of the Hearing Transcript
14 are confidential and warrant sealing, and the Parties have agreed on the portions of
15 the Hearing Transcript that are confidential and should remain sealed. Those portions
16 that the Parties propose sealing are highlighted in the concurrently lodged Exhibit A.
17 As previously stated in BANA’s motions to seal submitted in connection with
18 class certification briefing, the public’s right to inspect and copy judicial records is
19 not absolute, and a party faced with the disclosure of confidential or proprietary
20 information may seek to file the documents under seal to avoid disclosure of business
21 information that might result in competitive harm or be used for improper purposes.
22 See Nixon v. Warner Commc’ns, Inc., 435 U.S. 589, 598 (1978) (denying disclosure);
23 Local Civ. R. 79.2(c). Accordingly, the Parties filed various motions to seal (the
24 “Motions to Seal,” ECF Nos. 328, 337, 344, 347, 376, 383, 384, 394) certain
25 documents (or portions thereof) in connection with briefing on Plaintiffs’ Motion for
26 Class Certification (ECF Nos. 324, 349, 378). The Court largely granted those
27 Motions to Seal, finding compelling reasons to seal documents concerning BANA’s
28 fraud detection and prevention policies and strategies, BANA’s analyses of claims
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UNOPPOSED MOTION TO SEAL CLASS CASE NO. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB
CERTIFICATION HEARING TRANSCRIPT
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 418 Filed 02/12/25 PageID.25514 Page
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1 fraud and potential strategies to combat that fraud, and BANA’s Remediation Plans
2 with the regulators and documents showing BANA’s implementation of those Plans,
3 among other categories of confidential information. See ECF Nos. 365, 381, 390,
4 391, 397 (the “Sealing Orders”).
5 Consistent with the Court’s Sealing Orders, there are compelling reasons to
6 seal portions of the Hearing Transcript at issue here, which reflect topics that are
7 likely to cause particularized competitive harm to BANA and which could potentially
8 enable future fraud, and thus pose a danger to BANA’s business and the public. See,
9 e.g., East West Bank v. Shanker, 2021 WL 3112452, at *18-19 (N.D. Cal. July 22,
10 2021) (finding compelling reasons to seal where public disclosure of EWB’s
11 confidential onboarding processes, verification of customer identities and fraud
12 prevention measures would “harm [the bank’s] competitive standing”); Soria v. U.S.
13 Bank N.A., 2019 WL 8167925, at *4 (C.D. Cal. Apr. 25, 2019) (finding compelling
14 reasons to seal bank’s internal procedures for investigating fraud because there was
15 a “significant danger that someone could improperly use this information to commit
16 fraud and avoid detection”).
17 The portions of the Hearing Transcript that BANA seeks to seal reflect
18 information derived from previously sealed documents (or portions thereof),
19 including but not limited to, BANA’s Remediation Plans with the regulators (ECF
20 324-77, 324-150), the Declaration of William M. Martin in Support of Defendant’s
21 Opposition to Class Certification (ECF 350-8), and data reflecting certain
22 populations of cardholders subject to BANA’s remediation efforts (ECF 350-44).
23 Each of those documents was designated Confidential or Highly Confidential –
24 Attorneys’ Eyes Only by BANA, and in the case of the Remediation Plans, by the
25 regulators as well. And each of those documents and the discussions thereof reflect
26 BANA’s confidential fraud review processes, BANA’s Remediation Plans with the
27 regulators, and/or details regarding BANA’s implementation of the Plans, which are
28 the same categories of information that this Court has already found compelling
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UNOPPOSED MOTION TO SEAL CLASS CASE NO. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB
CERTIFICATION HEARING TRANSCRIPT
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 418 Filed 02/12/25 PageID.25515 Page
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1 reasons to seal. See ECF 365, 381, 390, 391, 397; see also 344-3 (Lennon Decl.),
2 347-1 (Martin Decl.).
3 For the foregoing reasons and for the reasons set forth in the Court’s Sealing
4 Orders in connection with class certification briefing (ECF Nos. 365, 381, 390, 391,
5 397), Plaintiffs’ Motions to Seal (ECF Nos. 376, 384, 394), BANA’s prior Motions
6 to Seal (ECF Nos. 328, 337, 344, 347, 383) and accompanying declarations submitted
7 in support (ECF Nos. 344-1, 344-2, 344-3, 347-1, 347-2), and the argument presented
8 at the hearing on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Class Certification, all of which are
9 incorporated herein by reference, BANA respectfully requests that the Court grant
10 Defendant’s Unopposed Motion to Seal Portions of the Class Certification Hearing
11 Transcript because compelling reasons support sealing thereof.
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Respectfully submitted,
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14 Dated: February 12, 2025 By: s/ James W. McGarry__
JAMES W. MCGARRY (pro hac vice)
15 JMcGarry@goodwinlaw.com
GOODWIN PROCTER LLP
16 100 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA 02210
17 Tel.: +1 617 570 1000
Fax: +1 617 523 1231
18
THOMAS M. HEFFERON (pro hac
19 vice)
THefferon@goodwinlaw.com
20 SABRINA M. ROSE-SMITH (pro hac
vice)
21 SRoseSmith@goodwinlaw.com
MATTHEW L. RIFFEE (pro hac vice)
22 MRiffee@goodwinlaw.com
GOODWIN PROCTER LLP
23 1900 N St. NW
Washington, DC 20036
24 Tel: +1 202 346 4000
Fax: +1 202 346 4444
25
LAURA G. BRYS (SBN 242100)
26 LBrys@goodwinlaw.com
GOODWIN PROCTER LLP
27 601 S Figueroa St., Suite 4100
Los Angeles, CA 90017
28 Tel.: +1 213 426 2500
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UNOPPOSED MOTION TO SEAL CLASS CASE NO. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB
CERTIFICATION HEARING TRANSCRIPT
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 418 Filed 02/12/25 PageID.25516 Page
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Fax: +1 617 346 4444
1
YVONNE W. CHAN (pro hac vice)
2 YChan@jonesday.com
JONES DAY
3 100 High Street
Boston, MA 02110
4 Tel.: +1 617 960 3939
Fax: +1 617 449 6999
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JANICE P. BROWN (SBN 114433)
6 jbrown@myersnave.com
MATTHEW B. NAZARETH (SBN
7 278405)
mnazareth@myersnave.com
8 MEYERS NAVE
600 B Street, Suite 1650
9 San Diego, CA 92101
10 Attorneys for Defendant
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
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UNOPPOSED MOTION TO SEAL CLASS CASE NO. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB
CERTIFICATION HEARING TRANSCRIPT
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 418 Filed 02/12/25 PageID.25517 Page
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
1
2 I hereby certify that I electronically filed the foregoing with the clerk of the
3 court for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California by
4 using the CM/ECF system on February 12, 2025. I further certify that all participants
5 in the case are registered CM/ECF users and that service will be accomplished by the
6 CM/ECF system. I certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and
7 correct.
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10 Executed: February 12, 2025 s/ James W. McGarry
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UNOPPOSED MOTION TO SEAL CLASS CASE NO. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB
CERTIFICATION HEARING TRANSCRIPT
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