Did you know that your personal information might be public knowledge in court documents? In Iowa, anyone can go to the county courthouse and view any public case, and if the case is not sealed, that person may get certain personal information about you, by viewing the court documents. You don’t have to be a party to the case to obtain a copy of the case filings.
We all have that one “nosey” acquaintance, right? As soon as that person hears there may be a court case on someone they know, they’ll be the first one looking online or going down to the courthouse to take a look for themselves. And they can.
Personal information is not automatically kept confidential in case filings. What IS confidential is “protected” information and that information cannot be included in case filings. In certain cases in which protected information does need to be released to the court and the direct parties involved, the attorney can ask the court to seal the case and this then becomes unavailable to the public. In general, most cases that involve children are automatically sealed by the court and not available to the public.
Protected information that will not be included in any case filings, or will be included, but partially redacted include:
- Social security numbers
- Financial account numbers
- Dates of birth
- Names of minor children
- Individual taxpayer identification numbers
- Other unique identifying numbers
Personal information may be public knowledge. Whether you asked for it or not, if you’re involved in a lawsuit, the below information MAY be available to the public, IF it is material to the case.
- Information concerning medical treatment or diagnosis
- Employment history
- Personal financial information
- Home address
- Information concerning crime victims
If you have any questions, contact our Sioux Falls, Sioux City, or Omaha office today!
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