PB-7 Doe v. Amherst Cent. Sch. Dist.
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York · 2021-05-07 · cited 16×
In this case, a plaintiff brought a personal injury action under New York's Child Victims Act against a school district and a former guidance counselor, alleging sexual abuse over several years in the early 1980s while attending high school. The plaintiff moved for permission to proceed under the pseudonym PB-7 Doe, and the trial court granted the motion. On appeal, the Appellate Division affirmed the order, holding that the CVA contains no language barring pseudonyms and that courts retain discretion to allow them after balancing factors such as the plaintiff's privacy and emotional harm, minimal prejudice to defendants, and preservation of public access to court records.