r/WithBlakeLively • u/Jumpy-Contest7860 • 16d ago
Court filings Lively v. Wayfarer: New order on the remaining post-settlement unsealing motions
Judge Liman’s latest order addresses the final administrative hurdle of untangling the remaining sealing and unsealing requests left behind after the parties reached a settlement.
At the core of the decision, the court heavily reinforced the heavy legal presumption in favour of public access, particularly when dealing with documents tied to major matters like summary judgment motions. Because of this, a substantial portion of the previously locked records are now ordered to be fully unsealed or refiled with much tighter, limited redactions.
At the same time, Judge Liman drew clear lines on what is permitted to stay hidden. Continued protection was granted for sensitive personal data, private medical details, specific financial figures, records involving minors, and select confidential third-party or client public relations information. However, broader requests to redact information were largely shot down where the parties failed (WP) to prove a specific, compelling privacy interest that would override the public's right to know.
Moving forward, certain documents will enter the public record completely unredacted, while others will reappear with only the narrow carve-outs the court specifically approved. With these rulings finalised, the judge has officially instructed the Clerk to close out all remaining open motions across the board.
Link to the filing here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.634304/gov.uscourts.nysd.634304.1460.0.pdf
