From Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker (S.D.N.Y.) Thursday in Ap-Fonden v. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.:
This securities fraud litigation, filed in 2018 arises out of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad ("1MDB") scandal. Plaintiffs were investors in Defendant the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ("Goldman"). The parties have moved to seal materials submitted in connection with Plaintiff's motion for class certification….
As a preliminary matter, documents submitted in support of a motion for class certification are judicial documents to which the presumption of public access [to court records] would apply….
In support of its application to maintain certain documents under seal, and to allow for the filing of other exhibits with redactions, Goldman notes that it seeks to redact individuals' names and other personal identifying information of current and former Goldman employees as well as two entities and individuals unaffiliated with Goldman. Goldman states that none of those employees or entities were implicated in any of the alleged wrongdoing at the center of this case. Therefore, Goldman states, "it would be patently unfair and highly prejudicial to these individuals to disclose [their] names."