The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois reported the following activity in the suit brought by
Joshua Paul Lefler against
Bryce Shaffer,
County of Franklin,
Franklin County Sheriff's Office,
James Allen,
Paul Uraski,
State of Illinois and
Village of North City on March 20: 'On February 28, 2023, Plaintiff Joshua Paul Leflar, Proceeding Pro Se, Filed The Instant Lawsuit Against The State Of Illinois And Various City And County Officials. Plaintiff Claims He Was Assaulted By The Mayor Of Coello And That Law Enforcement Officials Failed To Provide Him With Medical Care. He Seeks Medical Expenses For The Rest Of His Life. In Connection With These Claims, Plaintiff Filed A List Of The Medications He Takes, As Well As A List Of His Medical Care Dating As Far Back As 2002. Presently, Plaintiff Has Filed A Motion To Seal Or Recall The Attached Medical Records. For Before Sealing Any Part Of The Record, The Court Must Make A Determination Of Good Cause. Citizens First Nat'l Bank Of Princeton V. Cincinnati Ins. Co., 178 F.3d 943, 944 (7th Cir. 1999). The Decision To Seal May Not Be Delegated To Plaintiff To Seal Whatever Portions Of The Record He Wants To Seal. Id. "the Parties To A Lawsuit Are Not The Only People Who Have A Legitimate Interest In The Record Compiled In A Legal Proceeding." Id. In The Instant Case, Plaintiff Has Placed His Medical Condition At Issue In This Lawsuit. However, At This Early Stage Of The Litigation, The Court Cannot Determine What, If Any, Of The Attached Medical Records Are Relevant To This Dispute. Given Plaintiff's Pro Se Status, And The Potential That The Attached Medical Records, Many Of Which May Not Be Relevant To This Lawsuit, Could Harm Plaintiff's Privacy Interests, The Court Will Grant The Motion To Seal. This Does Not Mean, However, That The Information Contained In The Records Will Not Be Disclosed. To The Extent That The Information From The Medical Records Is Incorporated Into Other Documents Filed By The Parties Or Orders Issued By This Court, That Information Is Relevant To The Issues Raised In The Case And Should Be Available To The Public. See Union Oil Co. Of Calif. V. Leavell, 220 F.3d 562, 568 (7th Cir. 2000) ("people Who Want Secrecy Should Opt For Arbitration. When They Call On The Courts, They Must Accept The Openness That Goes With Subsidized Dispute Resolution By Public (and Publicly Accountable) Officials. Judicial Proceedings Are Public Rather Than Private Property,... And The Third-party Effects That Justify The Subsidy Of The Judicial System Also Justify Making Records And Decisions As Open As Possible.") (internal Citations Omitted). The Court Directs The Clerk As Follows: The Pleading At Doc. 2, In Its Current Form, Shall Be Removed From The Docket. The Clerk Shall Then File Pages 1-11 And 21 As The Complaint And It Shall Be A Publicly Available Document. The Clerk Shall Then File Pages 12-20 Of The Pleading (plaintiff's Medical Records) As A Sealed Supplement To The Complaint. Signed By Judge David W. Dugan On 3/20/2023. (dsw)this Text Entry Is An Order Of The Court. No Further Documentation Will Be Mailed. (entered: 03/20/2023)'.
Case number 3:23-cv-00748-DWD was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois on Feb. 28.
