(a) Notice. If a litigant seeks to proceed under a pseudonym, at the time of filing his
or her initial pleading, the party must file under seal a Notice of intention to seek leave
to proceed under such pseudonym and disclose the litigant's true name. This notice will
be maintained under seal.
(b) Motion. Contemporaneously with the Notice, the litigant must file a motion to
proceed under the pseudonym, setting forth the justification under applicable law.
(c) Service. The Notice and motion must be served on each opposing party within 7
days of the opposing party’s appearance.
(d) Objection. Any objection to the motion must be filed by the opposing party
within 21 days of the party’s appearance.
(e) Denial of Motion. If the motion is denied, the litigant has 14 days to file the
complaint in his or her true name.
Local Rules Advisory Committee Comments
Re: 2018 Amendment
Recognizing that there is a strong presumption in favor of openness in court proceedings, this rule is
adopted to provide procedural guidance to litigants who seek to proceed anonymously. This rule
provides a vehicle for a litigant’s identity to be disclosed to the court and to the opposing party but not to
the public at large pending the outcome of the court’s determination of whether the litigant is entitled to
proceed anonymously.
