Williams, Bax & Saltzman, P.C. v. Boley International (H.K.) Ltd.

Ct. of Appeals denied two similar motions to seal terms of settlement agreement in pending appeals, where one motion concerned case filed by minor, in which Dist. Ct. had reduced portion of settlement agreement payable to plaintiff’s law firm pursuant to Local Rule 17.1 of Northern District of Illinois, and other motion concerned settlement agreement whose terms had been highly redacted except for names of parties and nature of lawsuit. Documents that affect disposition of federal litigation are presumptively open to public view, and terms of settlement agreement in minor’s lawsuit needed to be revealed to determine propriety of instant reduction in fees to plaintiff’s counsel. Moreover, defendants in redacted settlement agreement case mooted their request where defendants filed copy of settlement agreement in appendix of their appellate brief.