Motion to Seal Records Template: Confidential Filing Request

Typical length: 4-6 pages
AI Assisted
Export: PDF & DOCX
Multi-jurisdiction ready

Get your custom agreement in minutes Create Agreement

4.8 Rating Downloaded 4628 times

Google For Startups NVIDIA Inception Program

Motion to Seal Records Template

[Attorney Name or Party Name]

[Law Firm Name, if applicable]

[Address]

[City, State, ZIP Code]

[Phone Number]

[Email Address]

[Bar Number, if applicable]

IN THE [NAME OF COURT]

FOR [COUNTY / DISTRICT / JURISDICTION]

[Plaintiff / Petitioner Name],

Plaintiff / Petitioner,

[Defendant / Respondent Name],

Defendant / Respondent.

Case No.: [Case Number]

1. Title of Motion

MOTION TO SEAL RECORDS

[Name of Moving Party] respectfully moves the Court for an order sealing the records, documents, exhibits, or portions of filings identified below.

This motion is made under the applicable court rules, local rules, prior orders if any, and the Court’s authority to protect confidential or sensitive information from unnecessary public disclosure.

2. Moving Party Information

Moving Party: [Full Name or Entity Name]

Role in Case: [Plaintiff / Defendant / Petitioner / Respondent / Nonparty / Other]

Counsel for Moving Party, if applicable:

[Attorney Name]

[Law Firm Name]

[Address]

[Phone Number]

[Email Address]

3. Records or Materials to Be Sealed

The Moving Party requests sealing of the following material:

Document / Exhibit Name: [Name]

Docket Number, if filed: [Number]

Date Filed or To Be Filed: [Date]

Additional materials, if any:

[Insert details]

If only part of a filing should be sealed, identify the exact portions here:

[Describe pages, paragraphs, exhibit tabs, or lines]

4. Nature of Confidential Information

The material sought to be sealed contains the following type of information:

☐ personal identifying information

☐ medical or health information

☐ confidential financial information

☐ trade secrets

☐ proprietary business information

☐ confidential third-party information

☐ law-enforcement-sensitive material

☐ minor-related information

☐ other confidential material: [Describe]

Additional description of the confidential content:

5. Grounds for Sealing

Sealing is necessary because:

[Describe why public filing would create harm, invade privacy, reveal protected information, or disclose confidential material]

The harm from public disclosure includes:

[Describe privacy harm, business harm, safety concern, prejudice, statutory concern, or other injury]

6. Narrow Tailoring

This request is narrowly tailored because:

☐ only specific exhibits are being sealed

☐ only limited portions of a filing are being sealed

☐ a redacted public version will be filed, if required

☐ the request applies only to the minimum material necessary

☐ other: [Describe]

Additional narrow-tailoring explanation:

7. Less Restrictive Alternatives

The Moving Party has considered the following less restrictive alternatives:

☐ redaction

☐ partial sealing

☐ use of initials or anonymous identifiers

☐ filing summaries instead of full exhibits

☐ protective order only

☐ other: [Describe]

Those alternatives are not sufficient because:

[Insert explanation]

8. Duration of Requested Seal

The Moving Party requests that the materials be sealed:

☐ permanently

☐ until further order of the Court

☐ for a limited period ending on [Date]

☐ until conclusion of the case

☐ other: [Describe]

If later unsealing, redaction, or review is requested, state that here:

9. Persons Who May Access Sealed Material

If the Court grants this motion, access to the sealed material should be limited to:

☐ the Court and court staff

☐ counsel of record

☐ the parties

☐ authorized experts or consultants

☐ other persons approved by the Court

☐ as otherwise required by rule or order

Additional access instructions, if any:

10. Legal Basis

This motion is based on:

☐ applicable local sealing rule

☐ privacy protection rule

☐ confidentiality obligation under law

☐ prior protective order

☐ contractual confidentiality obligation

☐ other authority: [Describe]

Additional legal basis, if any:

[Insert statute, rule, order, or authority]

11. Request for Relief

The Moving Party respectfully requests that the Court:

seal the materials identified in this motion;

permit filing of sealed unredacted versions and, if required, public redacted versions;

limit access to the sealed material as requested or as the Court deems proper;

grant any additional relief appropriate to protect the confidential information at issue.

12. Signature

Dated: [Date]

Signature: __________________________

Name: [Attorney Name or Party Name]

Title: [Attorney for Moving Party / Self-Represented Party / Other]

Bar Number: [Bar Number, if applicable]

13. Certificate of Service

I certify that on [Date], I served a copy of this Motion to Seal Records on the following person(s) or party(ies):

[Name] – [Address / Email]

Method of Service:

☐ electronic filing system

☐ email

☐ mail

☐ hand delivery

☐ other: [Specify]

Signature: __________________________

Name: [Attorney Name or Party Name]

Date: [Date]

Download Free Template

Get your complete
agreement in minutes

Select a template

Each template already follows legal structure and best practices.

Provide details

The agreement is automatically filled and adapted to your inputs.

Review & download

Check the generated document, make edits if needed, and download a ready-to-use agreement.

Details

Learn more about

Motion to Seal Records Template: Confidential Filing Request

Click below for detailed info on the template.
For quick answers, scroll below to see the FAQ.

Learn more

Frequently asked

Motion to Seal Records Template — quick answers

Reviewed July 2026 Free download, PDF & DOCX

What is a motion to seal records?

A motion to seal records is a court filing asking the court to keep specific documents, exhibits, or portions of the record from public view. In federal practice, sealed filing can be permitted by court order, and Rule 5.2 also addresses privacy protection and sealed filing for certain information.

Why do you need a motion to seal records?

You need a motion to seal records when documents contain information that should not be publicly available, such as personal identifiers, confidential business information, sensitive medical information, protected third-party information, or other material the court may allow to be sealed. Many courts also recognize a strong presumption of public access, so the motion usually needs to explain exactly why sealing is necessary.

When should you use a motion to seal records?

Use a motion to seal records when you need to file confidential material with the court and no rule, prior sealing order, or automatic protection already fully covers the filing. In many courts, the motion must be filed at the same time as, or immediately after, the sealed document, but the exact process depends on local procedure.

How to write a motion to seal records?

Start with the court caption, case number, and the party making the request. Then identify the exact documents or portions of documents to be sealed, explain the specific reason sealing is necessary, and state why redaction or another narrower alternative would not adequately protect the information. It is also common to request a limited sealing period or identify who should have access.

Can AI Lawyer help if counsel, clients, and court staff all need to review?

AI Lawyer can help by organizing the motion into clear sections so each reviewer can find the sealed materials, confidentiality grounds, and requested relief quickly. It can also add internal reference fields, filing notes, and placeholders that make revisions easier to track. A consistent structure helps reduce repeated edits and lowers the chance of missing key details like exhibit names, redaction alternatives, or duration of sealing before the motion is filed.

Similar templates