What Uses Do I Have for Court Records?

If you have ever been to court, you know how traumatic and confusing it can be. It doesn’t matter if you have simply declared bankruptcy or if you have gone through something far worse like a divorce or a criminal or civil proceeding, the process can be dizzying and the impact can last a lifetime. If you have recently discovered that you need fresh copies of your public court records, there are ways to go about getting them. Court records are considered public records and you have a right to have a copy. Let’s take a look at just a few uses for court records.

If you have declared bankruptcy in recent years, the impact can be financially devastating, but it doesn’t have to be devastating forever. According to federal law, a bankruptcy can only be present on your credit report for 10 years after it was granted, but it is up to you to make sure that your credit bureau erases that bankruptcy from your credit report once that 10 years goes by. Since we all move around so much, losing the original court records that show when your bankruptcy was granted is not uncommon. You can always order replacement copies if you need to.

The same is true for divorce records. Some divorces are extremely complicated and come with dozens of conditions and clauses that can be enforced as long as you and your ex are still alive. As careful as we may try to be, we all lose things now and then and it is good to know that there is someone we can call to replace these records should they be lost or stolen.

If you have been sued or if you sued another person, you may need additional copies of the court records that show the judges decision. You may have lost the originals or maybe they became damaged during a move. Simply knowing that those documents are replaceable and that there are websites such as RecordsProject.com that can help you replace them helps people sleep easy at night.

The Internet is a great resource when it comes to replacing court records that have been lost, damaged or stolen. In rare cases, you may need to prove that you were a party mentioned in the court records to have a copy of them, but most states have complete open public court records laws that allows anyone to see copies of official court records.

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