Federal Court Seals Tracy Morgan Settlement With Wal-Mart

A federal judge in New Jersey has approved a motion to seal the terms of a court settlement in comedian Tracy Morgan’s lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in connection with a crash that left Morgan in a coma for days and that killed another comedian.

“There is a presumption that all material and judicial proceedings are matters of public record and should not be sealed,” U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp wrote in a recent memorandum order. “The right of public access, however, is not absolute and the presumption of access may be rebutted.”

Morgan was riding in a van that was struck from behind by a Wal-Mart truck in June 2014. Morgan, who starred in “30 Rock” and “Saturday Night Live,” suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash.

Morgan has said Wal-Mart “did right by me and my family, and for my associates and their families.”

The request that the settlement be sealed was made by attorneys for Morgan and Wal-Mart.

“Although the public may be interested in this case, the public has no legitimate interest in gaining access to this confidential information, as this is a case between private parties,” Shipp wrote.

Morgan and Wal-Mart’s joint request said that both parties in the lawsuit have a “strong interest” in keeping the settlement confidential.

“Although this case has generated a great deal of publicity, partly because of Mr. Morgan’s celebrity status, he has a strong privacy interest in protecting both information about confidential settlement negotiations in his case and his final settlement amount from the public,” the request to seal the agreement said.