C.P. v. Seattle Public Schools

Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein

8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON 9 AT SEATTLE S.P., by and through her guardians C.P. and Case No.: 2:25-cv-00286-BJR D.P., 12 Plaintiffs, ORDER GRANTING STIPULATED 13 v. MOTION TO FILE UNREDACTED ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD UNDER SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, a quasi- SEAL municipal corporation, Defendant.

This matter comes before the Court on the parties’ stipulated motion to file the administrative record under seal. The Court starts from the position that there is “a strong presumption in favor of access to court records.” Foltz v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 331 F.3d 20 1122, 1135 (9th Cir. 2003). To overcome this presumption, there must be a “compelling reason” for sealing that is “sufficient to outweigh the public’s interest in disclosure.” Kamakana v. City & County of Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1179 (9th Cir. 2006). Compelling reasons exist in this case: the administrative record contains a student’s private educational and medical information, and Plaintiffs’ interest in keeping that information confidential outweighs the public’s interest in

1 of 2 | ORDER GRANTING STIP. MOTION TO SEAL Cedar Law PLLC ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD || disclosure. See id. Given the volume of the record and the prevalence of sensitive information, ||redacting this confidential information would be overly burdensome and would render the ||remaining record difficult to understand — and thus far less valuable — to the public.

4 Accordingly, the Court GRANTS the parties’ stipulated motion and DIRECTS the Clerk to || maintain the administrative record under seal once it is filed.

DATED this 31st day of March, 2025. ° & Aare eu, 9 aS Barbara Jacobs Rothstein 10 U.S. District Court Judge Presented by: || CEDAR LAW PLLC ||By: __s/Alex Hagel Alexander Hagel, WSBA #55423 || Attorney for Plaintiffs '7 |! PACIFICA LAW GROUP LLP By: __s/ Sarah C. Johnson ||Susan Winkleman, WSBA #49544 Sarah C. Johnson, WSBA #34529 || Attorneys for Defendant of 2 | ORDER GRANTING STIP. MOTION TO SEAL Cedar Law PLLC ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD 600 1S Ave., Ste. 330, PMB 96563 2:25-cv-00286-BJR Seattle, WA 98104 Ph: (206) 607-8277 | Fax: (206) 237-9101