M.F., a minor, by and through his Guardian ad Litem, R.S.; R.S., an individual; and A.F., an individual v. SAN DIEGUITO UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT; ROB COPPO, an individual; ANGELA GUERRERO, an individual; THERESA BARNES, an individual; and DOES 1 through 10, inclusive
- Proceeding
- district
- Area
- civil
- Panel
- William Q. Hayes (author)
Analysis
Plaintiffs moved for leave to file an unredacted version of their Motion to Appoint Guardian Ad Litem under seal to protect the identity of a minor's proposed guardian. The Court granted the motion, finding good cause under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2.
| What the court decided | The model |
|---|---|
Motion to File Documents Under Seal granted“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Motion to File Documents Under Seal (ECF No. 2) is granted.” | agree with court The court correctly applied Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2(f), which explicitly permits a person making a redacted filing to file an unredacted copy under seal. The court found 'good cause' based on the need to protect the identity of a minor's guardian, which is a standard justification for sealing in cases involving minors. The reliance on Kamakana v. City & Cnty. of Honolulu supports the 'good cause' standard for sealing in the Ninth Circuit. |
The order itself: sound — The order is procedurally correct and cites the specific rule (Rule 5.2(f)) that authorizes the relief requested. It also cites binding Ninth Circuit precedent (Kamakana) for the 'good cause' standard. The reasoning is concise but sufficient for a procedural motion to seal.
Opinion
1 2 3 4 5 6 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 8 9 M.F., a minor, by and through his Case No.: 3:26-cv-04737-WQH-GC Guardian ad Litem, R.S.; R.S., an 10 individual; and A.F., an individual, ORDER 11 12 Plaintiffs, 13 v. 14 SAN DIEGUITO UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT; ROB COPPO, an 15 individual; ANGELA GUERRERO, an 16 individual; THERESA BARNES, an individual; and DOES 1 through 10, 17 inclusive, 18 Defendants. 19 HAYES, Judge: 20 On August 19, 2026, Plaintiffs M.F., R.S., and A.F. (“Plaintiffs”) initiated this action 21 by filing a Complaint asserting violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the 22 U.S. Constitution and related claims arising from Plaintiff M.F.’s “constitutionally 23 protected political speech at a public high school and [his] subsequent involuntary 24 commitment to a psychiatric facility.” (ECF No. 1 at 2.) 25 On the same day, Plaintiffs filed the pending Motion to File Documents Under Seal 26 (ECF No. 2) and Motion to Appoint Guardian Ad Litem. (ECF No. 3.) 27 28 l Plaintiffs move for leave to file under seal an unredacted version of their Motion to 2 || Appoint Guardian Ad Litem and its supporting declaration of Plaintiff R.S., which 3 || “disclose the full legal name of M.F.’s proposed Guardian ad Litem.” (ECF No. 2 at 2.) 4 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 provides that any filing containing “the name of 5 individual known to be a minor” may include only “the minor’s initials.” Fed. R. Civ. 6 || P. 5.2(a)(3). Rule 5.2 also provides that “[a] person making a redacted filing may also file 7 unredacted copy under seal.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2(f). Here, the Court finds good cause to 8 permit the filing of Plaintiff's unredacted Motion to Appoint Guardian Ad Litem under 9 ||seal. Kamakana y. City & Cnty. of Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1180 (9th Cir. 2006). 10 IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Motion to File Documents Under Seal (ECF 11 ||No. 2) is granted. Plaintiffs may file an unredacted version of their Motion to Appoint 12 || Guardian Ad Litem (ECF No. 3) and its supporting declaration under seal within thirty (30) 13 || days. 14 15 16 ||Dated: August 31, 2026 BE: te Z. A a 17 Hon, William Q. Hayes 18 United States District Court 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28