# Boardman v. The Ohio State University

> District Court, S.D. Ohio · April 4, 2024

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/10384493

## Case

- **Court:** District Court, S.D. Ohio
- **Decided:** April 4, 2024
- **Opinion:** 100trialcourt
- **Cited by:** 0 later opinions in the Frix Law Library

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## Opinion text

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO
EASTERN DIVISION

AMBER BOARDMAN,

Plaintiff,

Civil Action 2:23-cv-3566
Judge Michael H. Watson
v. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth P. Deavers

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
et al.,

Defendants.

OPINION AND ORDER
By Preliminary Pretrial Order dated January 9, 2024, the Court established a deadline of
January 30, 2024, for the parties’ submission of any proposed protective order or clawback
agreement. (ECF No. 13.) On January 30, 2024, Defendants filed a Motion for Entry of
Protective Order, explaining the circumstances of the parties’ inability to work out the terms of
the order in time for filing by the Court-established deadline. (ECF No. 20.) On that same date,
Plaintiff filed a four-page document titled as “Plaintiff’s Motion for a Protective Order,
Incorporating Request to Proceed Under a Pseudonym and Motion to Strike.” (ECF No. 21.) In
that filing, Plaintiff stated, “[d]ue to extenuating circumstances, Plaintiff shall submit additional
arguments and clarifying information after midnight but prior to the next business day. (Id. at 4.)
Contrary to her representations, Plaintiff did not make any further filing until six days
later on February 5, 2024. Plaintiff titled her later filing as “Plaintiff’s Amended Motion for
Entry of a Protective Order, Incorporating Request to Proceed Under a Pseudonym and Motion
to Strike.” (ECF No. 22.) On February 14, 2024, Defendants filed a response in opposition to
Plaintiff’s amended motion. (ECF No. 25.) On February 28, 2024, Plaintiff filed a reply in
support of her motion for protective order. (ECF No. 28.)
Accordingly, the Court considers the matter of a protective order to be fully briefed with
competing proposed orders now before it for consideration. For the following reasons, the Court

is inclined to grant Defendants’ motion (ECF No. 20). Nevertheless, before the Court will enter
Defendants’ proposed protective order, it will direct the parties to meet and confer one additional
time in an effort to submit an agreed version of the protective order. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s
amended motion (ECF No. 22) is DENIED to the extent that it seeks entry of Plaintiff’s
proposed protective order, which, as Plaintiff explains, is “intended to supplement and not
replace the protective order proposed by Defendant.” (ECF No. 22 at 6.) Any agreed protective
order shall be filed within THIRTY DAYS OF THE DATE OF THIS ORDER. If no agreed
protective order is submitted to the Court, on the THIRTY-FIRST DAY, the Court will enter
Defendants’ proposed protective order without Plaintiff’s proposed supplementation. The

remainder of Plaintiff’s motions are further resolved as explained below.
Initially, in her amended motion, Plaintiff states that she “presents this Amended
Protective Order” as the “complete version of her First Motion for Protective Order.” (ECF No.
22 at 16.) She “retroactive[ly]” seeks an extension of time for the filing and requests that “the
first version be struck from the record.” (Id.) Plaintiff’s amended motion (ECF No. 22) is
GRANTED to the extent that the Court considers it to be timely filed and DIRECTS the Clerk
to strike ECF No. 21. The Court now turns to the issue of the proposed protective orders.
I.
Rule 26(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure allows courts to enter protective
orders upon a showing of good cause. Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c). Specifically, the Court may issue an
order to protect a party or person from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden
or expense. Fed. R. Civ. P. 26. Courts routinely enter protective orders to govern discovery in

cases as long as they are not violative of Rule 26(c) and the Sixth Circuit has recognized the
practical use of such orders. Wolpert v. Branch Banking Tr. & Co., No. 3:19-CV-138-TRM-
DCP, 2023 WL 2824900, at *1 (E.D. Tenn. Mar. 1, 2023) (citation omitted). Such an order,
considered a blanket protective order, “‘allows the parties to designate certain information as
confidential without the need for the Court to review each piece of information before that
designation.’” N.T. by & through Nelson v. Children's Hosp. Med. Ctr., No. 1:13CV230, 2017
WL 3314660, at *5 (S.D. Ohio Aug. 3, 2017) (quoting Anderson v. Frye, No. 2:05-cv-0520,
2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 46352, at *3 (S.D. Ohio July 7, 2006)). To comply with Rule 26(c), a
blanket protective order requires a party to designate documents “confidential” in good faith and

subject to the power of other parties to challenge such designations. Id. (citing Ruiz-Bueno v.
Scott, No. 2:12-cv-0809, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 165722, at *9-10, 2013 WL 6122399 (S.D.
Ohio Nov. 21, 2013)).
II.
Turning first to Defendants’ proposed protective order, they explain that it was drafted
with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. §
1232g, in mind. Defendants indicate that, because student records are necessarily relevant to
Plaintiff’s claims, their proposed order contains a clause ordering Defendant The Ohio State

University (“the University”) to produce FERPA protected records in discovery. Thus, absent this
provision, Defendants assert that the University would be required to track down students who may
no longer be attending OSU to obtain permission to release records. Defendants further note that both
Plaintiff and her boyfriend have medical records which will be relevant and those medical records
should be considered confidential by the parties. Defendants contend that, without the protective
order in place, document production will be unnecessarily complicated and the University may be
legally unable to produce relevant education records should students not consent to their release.
Plaintiff’s response is not a model of clarity. As noted above, however, it appears to

propose supplemental language to Defendants’ proposed protective order. Defendants provide
an apt summary in stating that “it appears that Plaintiff is requesting the Court, in addition to
entering a protective order for document production, to enter an order requiring the University to
redact every single name from every document and create an elaborate system of assignment of
pseudonyms for the redacted names. She appears to further request that every document in this
matter be sealed from public view.” (ECF No. 25 at 2.) Defendants assert that, Plaintiff’s
requests exceed the purpose of a protective order and are premature. The Court agrees.
Initially, the Court notes that Defendants opted not to utilize either model protective order
endorsed by this Court. Nevertheless, Defendants’ proposed protective order, many provisions
of which are largely consistent with those model protective orders, accomplishes the objectives

of FERPA and the medical privacy statutes at issue in this case. Plaintiff’s proposed
supplementation compelling the University to redact every single name from every single
document and create an elaborate pseudonym system for the parties to track the identity of
witnesses is simply unworkable and at odds with the purpose of a protective order. That is, the
very purpose of a protective order is to shield information from public view during the discovery
process. See, e.g., Ruiz-Bueno v. Scott, No. 2:12-cv-0809, 2013 WL 6122399, at *2 (S.D. Ohio
Nov. 21, 2013) (noting that protective orders are “the typical way for parties to handle the
production of any type of . . . [sensitive] information.”). Indeed, to avoid disputes regarding
production, it is “typical” for parties to use protective orders in order to move discovery along.
Smith v. FirstEnergy Corp., No. 2:20-CV-3755, 2021 WL 1940234, at *3 (S.D. Ohio May 14,
2021) (citing id.).
Further, the focus of Plaintiff’s language appears to be her desire to prevent the inclusion

of certain information on the public record. To this extent, Plaintiff’s request is premature. As
the Sixth Circuit has discussed “there is a stark difference between” sealing court records, and
protective orders under Rule 26(c). Shane Grp., Inc. v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mich., 825
F.3d 299, 305 (6th Cir. 2016). That is, “’[a]t the adjudication stage … very different
considerations apply.’” Id. (quoting Joy v. North, 692 F.2d 880, 893 (2d Cir. 1982). “The line
between these two stages, discovery and adjudicative, is crossed when the parties place material
in the court record.” Id. (citing Baxter Int'l, Inc. v. Abbott Labs., 297 F.3d 544, 545 (7th Cir.
2002)). Upon filing with the Court, “[u]nlike information merely exchanged between the parties,
“’t]he public has a strong interest in obtaining the information contained in the court record.’”

Id. (quoting Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. v. F.T.C., 710 F.2d 1165, 1180 (6th Cir.
1983)). Thus, at the appropriate time, i.e., when a party seeks to file protected information on
the public record, if Plaintiff wishes to move the Court for redaction of, or sealing of, a particular
document, she will be free to do so within the confines of this controlling authority. At this
stage, however, and for purposes of discovery, the Court will not consider Plaintiff’s requested
blanket redaction of every name in every document, followed by the outright sealing of all
records.
Additionally, the Court notes that it is unclear whether Plaintiff’s request to proceed
pseudonymously is simply an extension of her argument supporting her proposed protective
order or whether she mistakenly believes her untimely request will prevent the release of her
identity on the public record. To the extent it may be the latter,1 Plaintiff voluntarily initiated
this action using her own name. (See ECF Nos.1, 1-1, 1-3, 1-4.) She has continued to
voluntarily identify herself by name on the public record of this Court (see ECF Nos. 10, 12),
including in her subject motions which were not filed until roughly three months after she

initiated this action using her own name. (ECF Nos. 21, 22.) Indeed, even after moving to
proceed pseudonymously, Plaintiff recently filed a proposed Amended Complaint,2 again
voluntarily identifying herself by name and including her street address, phone number and email
address. (ECF No. 32.) Thus, Plaintiff has waived any right to proceed pseudonymously by
voluntarily and repeatedly disclosing her name in the public record of this Court and allowing
that status to persist for roughly three months before taking any action to protect her identity.
Moreover, as a rule, actions must be prosecuted in the name of the real party in interest,
Fed. R. Civ. P. 17(a)(1), and a complaint must state the names of the parties. Fed. R. Civ. P.
10(a). “Plaintiffs are permitted to proceed under pseudonyms only under certain circumstances

that justify an exception to this rule.” Citizens for a Strong Ohio v. Marsh, 123 F. App'x 630,
636 (6th Cir. 2005) (referring to Fed. R. Civ. P. 10(a)). That is, “proceeding pseudonymously is
the exception, rather than the rule.” Doe v. Franklin County, Ohio, No. 2:13-cv-00503, 2013
WL 5311466, at *2 (S.D. Ohio Sept. 20, 2013) (citation omitted). Whether to allow a party to
proceed under a pseudonym is within the sound discretion of the court but should be permitted

1 For example, Plaintiff states: “For any individuals granted leave to proceed under a pseudonym,
this Court shall retroactively strike any previous mentions of their names that have appeared in
the docket for this case prior to this determination, including the case caption, document titles,
document content, and any residual digital footprints (e.g. “SEO” data) associated with the
electronic docket and within the Court’s control.” (ECF No. 22 ⁋ 7) (emphasis added).
2 Plaintiff’s proposed Amended Complaint currently is the subject of a pending motion to strike.
(ECF No. 33.)
only if the privacy interests of the party seeking anonymity substantially outweigh the strong
presumption in favor of open judicial proceedings. Doe v. Porter, 370 F.3d 558, 560 (6th Cir.
2004). Here, Plaintiff appears to contend that she should be permitted to proceed
pseudonymously for two primary reasons: her allegations of sexual assault and the need to stem
reputational damage. Neither reason is persuasive here

Of course, as Plaintiff notes, courts have recognized that allegations of sexual assault are
highly personal. Nevertheless, courts frequently “have found that a plaintiff's allegations that
proceeding publicly would cause embarrassment and humiliation, standing alone, are not
sufficient to justify permitting a plaintiff to proceed under a pseudonym.’” Doe v. Lee, No. 3:22-
CV-00569, 2023 WL 2587790, at *5 (M.D. Tenn. Mar. 21, 2023) (quoting Doe v. Fedex Ground
Package Sys., Inc., No. 3:21-CV-00395, 2021 WL 5041286, at *7 (M.D. Tenn. Oct. 29, 2021)).
That is, “intimacy and privacy concerns are only one factor in the analysis and there must usually
be some further purpose for protecting the plaintiff's identity.” Doe v. Metro. Gov't of Nashville
& Davidson Cnty., No. 3:23-CV-00736, 2023 WL 6211372, at *2 (M.D. Tenn. Sept. 25, 2023)

(quoting Doe v. Webster County, Civil Action No. 4:21-cv-0093-JHM, 2022 WL 124678, at *3
(W.D. Ky. Jan. 12, 2022)). Thus, “while it is true that the public generally has an interest in
protecting those who make sexual assault allegations so that they are not deterred from
vindicating their rights, ‘it does not follow that the public has an interest in maintaining the
anonymity of every person who alleges sexual assault or other misconduct of a highly personal
nature.” Ramsbottom v. Ashton, No. 3:21-CV-00272, 2021 WL 2651188, at *8 (M.D. Tenn. June
28, 2021) (quoting Rapp v. Fowler, No. 20-CV-9586 (LAK), 2021 WL 1738349, at *8 (S.D.N.Y.
May 3, 2021)).
Indeed, “other types of protective orders, such as those requiring that documents
containing sensitive information be sealed or redacted, may be appropriate as an alternative to
permitting a litigant to proceed anonymously.” Ramsbottom, 2021 WL 2651188, *3. Plaintiff
has failed to demonstrate that such alternative measures, as under consideration here, do not
address any of her concerns regarding the revelation of potentially intimate information. The

same can be said of Plaintiff’s claim of potential reputational harm. Moreover, her argument on
this latter point rests on nothing beyond her own speculation. Significantly, “[u]nsubstantiated
fears of speculative harm are insufficient to outweigh the presumption of open judicial
proceedings.” Doe v. The Univ. of Akron, No. 5:15-CV-2309, 2016 WL 4520512, at *4 (N.D.
Ohio Feb. 3, 2016) (citing Doe v. Franklin Cnty., Ohio, No. 2:13–cv–00503, 2013 WL 5311466,
at 3 (S.D. Ohio Sept. 20, 2013)). Accordingly, plaintiff's desire to litigate this case
pseudonymously based on generalized concerns of reputational harm do not “substantially
outweigh the presumption of open judicial proceedings.” Porter, 370 F.3d at 560.
III.

For the reasons set forth above, Plaintiff’s amended motion (ECF No. 22) is GRANTED
to the extent that the Court considers it to be timely filed and DIRECTS the Clerk to strike ECF
No. 21. Plaintiff’s amended motion (ECF No. 22) is DENIED to the extent that it seeks entry of
Plaintiff’s proposed protective order language. The Court is inclined to grant Defendants’
motion (ECF No. 20) but the parties are DIRECTED to meet and confer one additional time in
an effort to submit an agreed version of the protective order. Any agreed protective order shall
be filed within THIRTY DAYS OF THE DATE OF THIS ORDER. If no agreed protective
order is submitted to the Court, on the THIRTY-FIRST DAY, the Court will enter Defendants’
proposed protective order.
IT IS SO ORDERED.

Date: April 4, 2024 /s/ Elizabeth A. Preston Deavers_________
ELIZABETH A. PRESTON DEAVERS
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/10384493. Public record. Not legal advice.