Preston v. Hilton Central School District, et al.

U.S. District Court, WDNY

Sealing Court Records

Public Interest

Preston v. Hilton Central School District, et al.
11-cv-6420L
Judge Larimer

Background: The plaintiffs alleged that their autistic son was bullied and sexually harassed by students attending the defendant school. The plaintiffs further alleged that the defendant failed to protect their son from the verbal harassment. The plaintiffs moved to seal the court documents to be produced during the course of the litigation.

Ruling: The court denied the plaintiff’s motion. The court found that the plaintiffs had not alleged sufficient evidence to overcome the presumption of public access to court records. Specifically, given the allegations that employees of the school had engaged in misconduct, the public interest in the case was significant.

Steven M. Cohen of Hogan Willig for the plaintiff