EFTA00018289.pdf
efta-20251231-dataset-8 Court Filing 280.6 KB • Feb 13, 2026
Case 20-2413, Document 140-1, 10/19/2020,
2955244, Pagel of 3
20-2413-cv
r. Alward/
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT
SUMMARY ORDER
Rulings by summary order do not have precedential effect. Citation to a summary order filed
on or after January 1, 2007, is permitted and is governed by Federal Rule of Appellate
Procedure 32.1 and this Court's Local Rule 32.1.1. When citing a summary order in a
document filed with this Court, a party must cite either the Federal Appendix or an
electronic database (with the notation "summary order"). A party citing a summary order
must serve a copy of it on any party not represented by counsel.
At a stated term of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, held at
the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, 40 Foley Square, in the City of New York,
on the
19th
day of October, two thousand twenty.
PRESENT: Jost A. CABRANES,
ROSEMARY S. POOI.ER,
REENA RAGGI,
Circuit Judges.
Phrinifff-Appellee,
20-2413-cv
v.
GHISLAINE MAXWELL,
Defendant-Appellant,
SHARON CHURC:HER, JEFFREY EPSTEIN,
Respondents,
JULIE BROWN, MIAMI HERALD MEDIA COMPANY,
MICHAEL CERNOVICH, DBA CERNOVICH MEDIA,
Intervenors.
EFTA00018289
Case 20-2413. Document 140-1, 10/19/2020,
2955244, Page2 of 3
FOR PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE:
FOR DEFENDANT-APPELLANT:
FOR INTERVENORS:
DAVID BOIES (Sigrid S.
McCawley, on the
briy)
Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, Armonk,
NY.
ADAM MUELLER (Ty Gee, on the
brief]
Haddon, Morgan and Foreman, P.C.,
Denver, CO.
CHRISTINE N. WALz (Sanford L. Bohrer,
on the brief) Holland & Knight LLP, New
York, NY, for Intervenors Julie Brown and
Miami
Honk/ Media
Compaig.
Appeal from an order of the United States
District Court for the Southern District of New
York (Loretta A. Preska,Judge).
UPON DUE CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED,
ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the order of the
District Court be and hereby is
AFFIRMED.
Defendant-Appellant Ghislaine Maxwell appeals from a July 23, 2020 order unsealing certain
litigation materials, including, and related to, Maxwell's April 2016 deposition transcript.
She argues
that the District Court abused its discretion in ordering the unsealing of the deposition materials.
Specifically, she argues that there
is a lower presumption of access to the deposition materials at
issue in this case than to the summary judgment materials we ordered unsealed in Brown v. Atwavehc
929 F.3d 41 (2d Cir. 2019), and that her
interests outweigh the public's interests. We assume the
parties' familiarity with the underlying facts, the procedural history of the case, and the issues on
appeal)
When reviewing a district court's
decision to seal a filing or maintain such a seal, "we
examine the court's factual findings for clear error, its legal determinations de novo, and its ultimate
decision to seal or unseal for
abuse of discretion." Brown, 929 F.3d at 47 (citing Bernstein v. Bernstein
Litowitt Berger dr Grossman LLP, 814 F.3d 132, 139
(2d Cir. 2016)). A district court abuses its
discretion if it "(1) bases its decision on an error of law or uses the wrong legal standard; (2) bases its
decision on a dearly
erroneous factual finding; or (3) reaches a conclusion that, though not
necessarily the product of a legal error or a clearly erroneous factual finding, cannot be located
within the range of
permissible decisions." Klipscb
Grp.
Inc. v. Epro E-Commerce Ltd, 880 F.3d 620,
627 (2018) (internal quotation marks omitted).
Although Michael Cemovich, DBA Cemovich Media, did not enter an appearance in this
appeal, letters of his dated July 31, 2020
and September 9, 2020 are before the Court.
2
EFTA00018290
Case 20-2413. Document 140-1, 10/19/2020,
2955244, Page3 of 3
We cannot conclude that the District Court abused its discretion in ordering the unsealing of
the deposition materials. While "the presumption of public access in filings submitted in connection
with discovery
disputes or motions in Iimine is generally somewhat lower than the presumption
applied to material introduced at trial, or in connection with dispositive motions such as
motions for
dismissal or summary judgment," the District Court correctly held that the deposition materials are
judicial documents to which the presumption of public access attaches, and
did not abuse its
discretion in rejecting Maxwell's meritless arguments that
her interests superseded the presumption
of access. Brown, 929 F.3d at 50. The District Court's order articulated and
applied the correct legal
framework in its individualized review of the materials to be unsealed.
CONCLUSION
We have
reviewed all of the arguments raised by Defendant-Appellant Maxwell on appeal
and find them to be without merit We DENY the motion to consolidate this appeal with the
pending appeal
in United
States a
Maxwell, No. 20-3061-cr.
For the
foregoing reasons, we also
AFFIRM the July 23, 2020 order
of the District Court.
In the interest of judicial economy, any further appeal in this civil case shall be referred to
this panel.
The mandate shall issue forthwith.
FOR THE
COURT:
Catherine O'Hagan
Wolfe,
Clerk
3
EFTA00018291
Case 20-2413. Document 140-2. 10/19/2020. 2955244, Pagel of 1
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse
40 Foley Square
New York, NY 10007
DEBRA ANN LIVINGSTON CATHERINE O'HAGAN WOLFE
CHIEF JUDGE CLERK OF COURT
Date: October 19, 2020 DC Docket
#: 15-cv-7433
Docket #: 20-2413cv
DC
Court: SDNY (NEW YORK
Short Title: v. Maxwell CITY)
DC
Judge: Preska
BILL OF COSTS
INSTRUCTIONS
The requirements for filing a bill of costs are set forth in FRAP 39. A form for filing a bill of
costs is on the Court's website.
The bill of costs must:
* be filed within 14 days after the entry of judgment;
* be verified;
* be served on all adversaries;
* not include charges for postage, delivery, service, overtime and the filers edits;
* identify the number of copies which comprise the printer's unit;
* include the printer's bills, which must state the minimum charge per printer's unit for a page, a
cover, foot lines by the line, and an index and table of cases by the page;
* state only the number of necessary copies inserted in enclosed form;
* state actual costs at rates not higher than those generally charged for printing services in New
York, New York; excessive charges are subject to reduction;
* be filed via CM/ECF or if counsel is exempted with the original and two copies.
EFTA00018292
Case 20-2413, Document 140-3, 10/19/2020, 2955244, Pagel of 1
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse
40 Foley Square
New York, NY 10007
DEBRA ANN LIVINGSTON CATHERINE O'HAGAN WOLFE
CHIEF JUDGE CLERK OF COURT
Date: October 19, 2020 DC Docket
#: 15-cv-7433
Docket #: 20-2413cv
DC
Court: SDNY (NEW YORK
Short Title: v. Maxwell CITY)
DC
Judge: Preska
VERIFIED ITEMIZED BILL OF
COSTS
Counsel for
respectfully submits, pursuant to FRAP 39 (c) the within bill of costs and requests the Clerk to
prepare an itemized statement of costs taxed against the
and in favor of
for insertion in the mandate.
Docketing Fee
Costs of printing appendix (necessary copies
Costs of printing brief (necessary copies
Costs of printing reply brief (necessary copies
(VERIFICATION HERE)
Signature
EFTA00018293
Entities
0 total entities mentioned
No entities found in this document
Document Metadata
- Document ID
- cf6e0f77-3162-44de-b2f2-8065894ca89b
- Storage Key
- efta-modified/20251231/DataSet 8/VOL00008/IMAGES/0003/EFTA00018289.pdf
- Content Hash
- fded0c87c4ed651ad3784872eae8cd72
- Created
- Feb 13, 2026