Judge Orders Plaintiff to Show Cause for Proceeding With Pseudonym in Adult Website Case

U.S. District Judge Gary Klausner for Central California in Los Angeles ordered plaintiff “Jane Doe” to show cause why she should be permitted to proceed by pseudonym in a lawsuit against PHE, owner of adult products website Adam & Eve, said a Wednesday filing (docket 2:24-cv-01065). Doe’s Jan. 3 privacy complaint in Los Angeles County Superior Court, removed Feb. 7 to federal court, alleges PHE caused Google to learn the contents of her private and protected sexual information without notifying her and without her consent, in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act. Doe filed a class action vs. PHE on Sept. 25, and the court ordered her to show cause then, too, why she should be permitted to proceed by pseudonym, said the order. Soon after, Doe filed a notice of voluntary dismissal and refiled her case in state court, adding Google as a defendant; the action was removed this month. Under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a plaintiff must list her real name in the complaint, the order said. The rules “serve the purpose of promoting the public’s right to open courts and the right of private individuals to confront their accusers,” Klausner said. He added: “The rule that a plaintiff must use her real name is not absolute” and that in limited circumstances, a plaintiff may use a pseudonym “with the court’s permission.” Doe has not sought the court’s permission, said the order.