S. et al v. Wilderness Training & Consulting et al

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF UTAH, NORTHERN DIVISION
D.S., E.W., and J.G.,
Plaintiffs, 	MEMORANDUM DECISION AND
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO
PROCEED ANONYMOUSLY
v.
Case No. 1:25-cv-00209-TC
WILDERNESS TRAINING &
CONSULTING, LLC dba FAMILY HELP
AND WELLNESS; WTC HOLDCO, LLC;
SOLSTICE RTC, LLC aka SOLSTICE
WEST; JOURNEY HOME WEST; and
JOHN DOES 1–10,
Defendants.
Judge Tena Campbell
Before the court is a Motion for Leave to Proceed Anonymously filed by Plaintiffs D.S.,
E.W., and J.G. (ECF No. 2.) For the following reasons, the court grants the motion.
LEGAL STANDARD
Under Rule 10 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, “[t]he title of the complaint must
name all the parties[.]” Fed. R. Civ. P. 10(a). But under Rule 5.2 of the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure, minors must be named by initials unless the court orders otherwise. Fed. R. Civ.
P. 5.2(a)(3). No provision in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure permits “suits by persons
using fictitious names or … anonymous plaintiffs.” Nat’l Commodity & Barter Ass’n, Nat’l
Commodity Exch. v. Gibbs, 886 F.2d 1240, 1245 (10th Cir. 1989). But there may be
“exceptional circumstances warranting some form of anonymity in judicial proceedings.”
Femedeer v. Haun, 227 F.3d 1244, 1246 (10th Cir. 2000). Such circumstances include cases
“involving matters of a highly sensitive and personal nature ….” Id. (cleaned up).
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When deciding whether to preserve anonymity, the court weighs any exceptional
circumstances against the public’s interest in access to legal proceedings. Id. Courts enjoy
discretion about whether to allow a plaintiff to proceed using a pseudonym. U.S. Dep’t of Just.
v. Utah Dep’t of Com., No. 2:16-cv-00611-DN-DBP, 2017 WL 963203, at *1 (D. Utah Mar. 10,
2007) (citing Lindsey v. Dayton-Hudson Corp., 592 F.2d 1118, 1125 (10th Cir. 1979)). If a
court grants permission for a plaintiff to proceed anonymously, “it is often with the requirement
that the real names of the plaintiffs be disclosed to the defense and the court but kept under seal
thereafter.” W.N.J. v. Yocom, 257 F.3d 1171, 1172 (10th Cir. 2001).
ANALYSIS
The court finds that this case implicates “exceptional circumstances” that weigh in favor
of protecting the Plaintiffs’ identities.
First, the majority of events that form the basis of the Plaintiffs’ causes of action, which
include allegations of child abuse and forced child labor trafficking, occurred when the Plaintiffs
were minors. (See Compl., ECF No. 1 at ¶¶ 9–11.) As noted above, Rule 5.2(a)(3) requires
litigants to protect the names of minors. “Even if [a plaintiff] is no longer under the age of 18,
courts recognize the appropriateness of preventing the names of minors from being disclosed
past the date they reach majority, particularly where they may be burdened in adulthood by their
actions as minors.” A.L. v. CIGNA Health & Life Ins. Co., No. 2:25-cv-924-JCB, 2025 WL
3101815, at *2 (D. Utah Nov. 6, 2025).
Second, the case turns on sensitive and personal medical concerns that weigh against the
disclosure of the Plaintiffs’ identities. See id.
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Finally, the Plaintiffs’ identities are known to the Defendants, as the Plaintiffs all sought
therapeutic treatment at facilities run by the Defendants. (See Compl. ¶¶ 1–8.) As a result, the
Defendants will not be prejudiced by a decision to allow the Plaintiffs to proceed anonymously.
In sum, the public interest in access to the Plaintiffs’ identities is substantially
outweighed by the Plaintiffs’ interest in protecting matters of a highly sensitive and personal
nature. Accordingly, the court finds that the Plaintiffs should be allowed to proceed
anonymously.
ORDER
For the foregoing reasons, the court ORDERS as follows:
1. 	The court GRANTS the Plaintiffs’ Motion for Leave to Proceed Anonymously.
(ECF No. 2.)
2. 	Within 14 days from the date of this order, the Plaintiffs must file under seal with
the court a document containing the Plaintiffs’ full names. That filing shall remain under seal
unless otherwise ordered.
DATED this 5th day of January, 2026.
BY THE COURT:
_______________________
Tena Campbell
United States District Judge
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