Shu-Hone Yao v. Erwin Mock

1 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA 2 COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO 3 UNIFIED FAMILY COURT 4

5) 6 SHU-HONE YAO,) Case Number: FDI-21-795805) 7 Petitioner) Hearing Date: April 21, 2026) 8 VS.) Hearing Time: 9:00 AM) 9 ERWIN MOCK,) Department: 404) 10 Respondent) Presiding: AI MORI) 11) 12 REQUEST FOR ORDER REQUEST TO SEAL PLEADINGS 13 TENTATIVE RULING 14 Having read and considered the pleadings, declarations, and other evidence submitted in this matter, the 15 Court makes the following findings and orders: 16 A. Procedural History 17 1) Petitioner Shu-Hone (Lisa) Yao (Mother) and Respondent Erwin Mock (Father) have two minor 18 children, Elana (DOB: 10/3/2012, age 13) and Alexander (DOB: 9/10/2015, age 10). 19 2) A Judgment was entered in this matter on 1/31/2024, which incorporated a confidential Marital 20 Settlement Agreement. 21 3) On for hearing is Father’s Request for Order filed 2/23/2026 asking that “all pleadings related to 22 the domestic violence pleadings be sealed from the public record.

Father lists 12 pleadings total 23 that he would like sealed, including pleadings related to the instant motion. Father states that in 24 February 2026, he became aware that trellis.law and unicourt.com have published records 25 involving Mother’s request for a domestic violence restraining order (which Mother later 26 withdrew) and that the websites have refused to remove the pleadings from their site absent a 27 court order. Father states, “These filings, which are available to view by anyone who Googles my 28 name or Ms.

Yao’s name, will have a direct impact on my ability to continue in my professional 29 and volunteer efforts if these remain a part of the public court file... Unless the court orders the

1 records to be sealed, these records... will remain available for public consumption, and cause 2 long-lasting harm to our family in violation of our right to privacy... Ms. Yao has indicated that 3 she supports this request and will join in it. We are not seeking a blanket sealing order to maintain 4 privacy of all respects. We have instead narrowly tailored this request to only the pleadings 5 related to the domestic violence action, custody, and this motion. Absent a sealing order from this 6 Court, I do not believe there are other means in which to protect my privacy rights.” 7 4) On 2/17/2026, Father filed a Memorandum of Points and Authorities citing California Rules of 8 Corut, rules 2.550 – 2.551; Section 1, Article 1 of the California Constitution; and NBC 9 Subsidiary v.

Superior Court (1999) 20 Cal.4th 1178. 10 5) On 4/8/2026, Mother filed a Responsive Declaration stating that she is joining Father in his 11 request to seal the identified pleadings. Mother also identifies her own list of pleadings (separate 12 from Father’s list) that she seeks to seal. The Court notes that on 3/30/2026, Mother filed her own 13 Request for Order to seal this additional set of pleadings and the hearing is currently set for 14 6/4/2026. Mother states that the pleadings the parties are seeking to seal “ include sensitive and 15 extremely private information about me, my children, and our family, all of which can be 16 accessed merely by Googling our names.