Court filing
MOTION to File Documents Under Seal (With attachments) — Bofa Ca Unemployment (Dkt. 527)
No. 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB · Doc. 527 · Docket on CourtListener
Summary
Plaintiffs' motion to file documents under seal, filed July 25, 2025 as Document 527 in In re Bank of America California Unemployment Benefits Litigation, Case No. 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Citing Local Rule 79.2, it asks to seal Exhibits 1 through 6 to the Declaration of Connie K. Chan, which contain deposition testimony the Bank designated Confidential, and the parts of the plaintiffs' opposition to a motion to stay pending a Rule 23(f) petition that quote them. The plaintiffs state that they met and conferred with the defendant on July 24 and 25, 2025 and asked it to de-designate excerpts of that testimony. According to the motion, the Bank agreed to de-designate only one excerpt of Exhibit 1. The plaintiffs dispute the remaining designations.
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Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 527 Filed 07/25/25 PageID.29906 Page
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1 JOSEPH W. COTCHETT (SBN 36324) MICHAEL RUBIN (SBN 80618)
jcotchett@cpmlegal.com mrubin@altber.com
2 BRIAN DANITZ (SBN 247403) STACEY M. LEYTON (SBN 203827)
3 bdanitz@cpmlegal.com sleyton@altber.com
KARIN B. SWOPE (Pro Hac Vice) CONNIE K. CHAN (SBN 284230)
4 kswope@cpmlegal.com cchan@altber.com
5 VASTI S. MONTIEL (SBN 346409) COLIN C. JONES (SBN 354301)
vmontiel@cpmlegal.com cjones@altber.com
6 CAROLINE A. YUEN (SBN 354388) CAROLINE HUNSICKER (SBN 356917)
7 cyuen@cpmlegal.com chunsicker@altber.com
COTCHETT, PITRE & McCARTHY, LLP ALTSHULER BERZON LLP
8 840 Malcolm Road, Suite 200 177 Post Street, Suite 300
9 Burlingame, CA 94010 San Francisco, CA 94108
Telephone: (650) 697-6000 Telephone: (415) 421-7151
10 Fax: (650) 697-0577 Fax: (415) 362-8064
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Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs and the Class
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14 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
15 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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IN RE BANK OF AMERICA Case No. 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB
17 CALIFORNIA UNEMPLOYMENT
18 BENEFITS LITIGATION MOTION TO FILE DOCUMENTS
UNDER SEAL
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20 Judge: Hon. Gonzalo P. Curiel
Ctrm: 2D (2nd Floor)
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This Document Relates to All Actions
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Motion to File Documents Under Seal; Case No. 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 527 Filed 07/25/25 PageID.29907 Page
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1 MOTION TO FILE DOCUMENTS UNDER SEAL
2 Pursuant to Local Rule 79.2 and Section 12.5 of the Stipulated Protective Order
3 (ECF 82) in this case and the Court’s Civil Pretrial & Trial Procedures, Plaintiffs move to
4 file under seal: (1) Exhibits 1 through 6 to the Declaration of Connie K. Chan in Support
5 of Plaintiffs’ Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion
6 to Stay Pending Resolution of Rule 23(f) Petition (“Stay Opposition”), which contain
7 deposition testimony that Defendant Bank of America, N.A. (the “Bank”) has designated
8 as “Confidential” pursuant to the Protective Order; and (2) portions of Plaintiffs’ Stay
9 Opposition that quote from those exhibits.
10 Plaintiffs have narrowly tailored their request to seal only such information that the
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Bank has designated as confidential (highlighted in yellow).
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Courts have recognized a “general right to inspect and copy public records and
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documents, including judicial records and documents.” Kamakana v. City and Cnty. of
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Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1178 (9th Cir. 2006) (quoting Nixon v. Warner Commc’ns, Inc.,
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435 U.S. 589, 597 & n.7 (1978)). Consequently, access to motions and their attachments
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that are “more than tangentially related to the merits of a case” may be sealed only upon a
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showing of “compelling reasons” for sealing. Ctr. for Auto Safety v. Chrysler Grp., LLC,
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809 F.3d 1092, 1101-02 (9th Cir. 2016). Filings that are only tangentially related to the
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merits, like motions to stay, may be sealed upon a lesser showing of “good cause.” Id. at
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1097; Omnitracs v. Platform Sci., Inc, 2021 WL 857005 at *6 (S.D. Cal. Mar. 8, 2021)
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(holding that a motion to stay “is a non-dispositive motion”).
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Plaintiffs met and conferred with Defendant on July 24 and 25, 2025 and requested
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that the Bank de-designate the following excerpts of Bank employee deposition testimony
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25 on the grounds that they do not contain confidential or sensitive information warranting
26 protection under the Stipulated Protective Order, and no good cause exists to file them
27 under seal:
28 - Ex. 1, Paul Simpson Deposition Transcript (“Simpson Tr.”) at 12:10-17, 64:12-
15, 101:22-102:1, 106:4-5
Motion to File Documents Under Seal; Case No. 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB 1
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 527 Filed 07/25/25 PageID.29908 Page
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1 - Ex. 2, Faiz Ahmad Deposition Transcript (“Ahmad Tr.”) at 366:11-15, 366:16-
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3 - Ex. 3, William Fox Deposition Transcript (“Fox Tr.”) at 71:5-8
4 - Ex. 4, Bradley Garfield Deposition Transcript (“Garfield Tr.”) at 223:4-8
5 - Ex. 5, Anne Holt Deposition Transcript (“Holt Tr.”) at 108:23-24, 217:8-10
6 - Ex. 6, Renee Johnson Deposition Transcript (“Johnson Tr.”) at 43:15-18
7 Decl. of Connie K. Chan in Support of Sealing Motion ¶2. In response, the Bank agreed to
8 de-designate only Simpson Tr. 12:10-17, and stated that the Bank continues to assert
9 confidentiality as to the remaining excerpts. Id. ¶3.
10 Plaintiffs dispute the Bank’s confidentiality designations as to the identified
11 deposition transcript excerpts and believe there is no good cause to seal the excerpts as
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quoted in Plaintiffs’ Stay Opposition because, on their own, they do not disclose any
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“confidential business information,” and disclosure of their contents is necessary to enable
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the public to understand the basis for Plaintiffs’ arguments. Nevertheless, Plaintiffs are
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filing this motion to seal in accordance with the Protective Order and the Local Rules.
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Respectfully submitted,
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Dated: July 25, 2025 COTCHETT, PITRE & McCARTHY, LLP
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19 By: /s/ Brian Danitz
JOSEPH W. COTCHETT
20 BRIAN DANITZ
21 KARIN B. SWOPE
VASTI S. MONTIEL
22 CAROLINE A. YUEN
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Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs and the Class
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25 Dated: July 25, 2025 ALTSHULER BERZON LLP
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By: /s/ Michael Rubin
27 MICHAEL RUBIN
28 STACEY M. LEYTON
CONNIE K. CHAN
COLIN C. JONES
Motion to File Documents Under Seal; Case No. 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB 2
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 527 Filed 07/25/25 PageID.29909 Page
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CAROLINE HUNSICKER
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2 Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs and the Class
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Motion to File Documents Under Seal; Case No. 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB 3
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 527 Filed 07/25/25 PageID.29910 Page
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1 SIGNATURE ATTESTATION
2 Pursuant to section 2(f)(4) of the Electronic Case Filing Administrative Policies and
3 Procedures Manual, I, Michael Rubin, attest that the other signatories listed, and on whose
4 behalf this filing is submitted, concur in the filing content and have authorized this filing.
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6 Dated: July 25, 2025 /s/ Michael Rubin
7 Michael Rubin
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Motion to File Documents Under Seal; Case No. 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB 4
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