Athens County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio Sealing & Redaction Procedures

CRITICAL

The filing party and counsel must remove personal and private information from filings, including attached exhibits and addenda.

It is the responsibility of the filing party and counsel to remove personal and private information from a document filed with the Clerk of Court's office. The responsibility of the filing party and counsel to remove personal and private information extend to and includes exhibits or addenda attached to filing, such as preliminary and final judicial reports which itemized state tax liens that use Social Security numbers as case numbers, or medical records.

CRITICAL

Journal entries containing personal and private information must be submitted in an unredacted copy for the non-public envelope and a redacted copy for the public file.

Journal entries that necessarily include personal and private information must be submitted to the Clerk of Court's office as follows: a copy that includes the personal and private information for placement in the non-pubic envelope and a copy with personal and private information redacted for placement in the public file.

CRITICAL

Information that must be excluded from public records is handled under seal, with a redacted copy placed in the public case file; records retain their public or nonpublic status as provided by law.

All social security numbers and other information that must be excluded from public records in accordance with the rules of this court and the Rules of Superintendence. Upon filing of a Petition, the Clerk shall file the original number under seal for use by the Court, and prepare a redacted copy for inclusion in the portion of the case file accessible to the public. Records or information received by the Court or the Clerk to assist the Court with making its decision under Revised Code Section 2953.25, including information included on a Petition, shall retain their character as public or nonpublic records, as otherwise provided in law.

CRITICAL

A party may file documents under seal only after the sealing order has been signed and journalized.

Documents Filed Under Seal. A party shall file documents to be sealed only after an order sealing the documents has been signed and journalized.

CRITICAL

Pretrial statements must redact Social Security numbers and other identifying personal and account information; paper copies provided to opposing counsel or a self-represented party must also be provided to the Court unredacted for a separate non-public file.

At the conference, pretrial statements shall be submitted, with any social security numbers and other identifying personal and account information redacted in accordance with Local Rule 5.01(B). Any paper copies produced to opposing counsel or pro se party with such redacted information shall be provided to the Court without redaction which shall be kept in a separate non-public file:

CRITICAL

Documents containing nonpublic information, including Social Security or financial account numbers, must be filed in the private nonpublic section while a redacted copy is filed simultaneously in the public file.

Certain documents that contain non-public information such as Social Security numbers and financial account numbers such as Qualified Domestic Relations Orders and Division of Property Orders shall be filed in the clerk's case file's private non-public section provided that a redacted copy is simultaneously filed in the clerk's public file.

CRITICAL

A document may be filed under seal only after the sealing order is signed and journalized; the sealed document must be physically presented to the Clerk with a copy of that order.

A party shall file a document to be sealed only after an order sealing that document has been signed and journalized. The sealed documents will not be e-Filed, but physically presented to the Clerk's office along with a copy of the signed order.

CRITICAL

Personal and private information must be submitted separately as a non-public record and kept in a separate envelope in the case file.

Personal and private information must be summited in a separate filing which will be deemed by the Court as a non-public record. The information will be kept in a separate envelope within the case file marked as follows:

CRITICAL

Documents may be filed under seal only with a prior Court order.

Documents shall be filed under seal only with prior Court order.

CRITICAL

Other documents may be filed under seal only after obtaining a prior Court order.

Other documents shall be filed under seal only with prior Court order.

WARNING

The Clerk of Courts may refuse a filing containing personal and private information that was not redacted or submitted as required.

The Clerk of Courts may refuse to accept for filing any document that contains personal and private information that has not been redacted or submitted in accordance with this order.

WARNING

The Clerk of Courts will not remove personal and private information from a file-stamped document without a court order.

The Clerk of Courts will not remove any personal and private information from a file stamped document, including records or transcripts transmitted to this court from another court, without a court order to do so.

WARNING

Personal and private information in documents filed before this rule took effect, and in records or transcripts received from another court, is considered public.

Any personal and private information in documents filed prior to the implementation of this rule is considered public. Any personal and private information in records or transcripts transmitted to this court from another court is considered public.

WARNING

Sealed documents are handled under the applicable order, statute, and Clerk procedures; scanning and later destruction are subject to the stated conditions, and a party granted return must provide mailing materials.

The Clerk shall file the document in accordance with any judicial order for sealing, or statute permitting filing under seal, and the Clerk's internal procedures for filing of sealed documents. If not prohibited by the order for sealing, the document shall be scanned, uploaded to the system, and reviewed for quality assurance. Once quality assurance is completed, the documents may be destroyed, unless otherwise ordered by the court or unless a request is made for the return of the document by the filing party. If the request is granted, the filing party shall provide the Court with the proper mailing materials for return of the document.

WARNING

Guardian ad litem and evaluating psychologist reports are kept in Confidential Family Files, are not filed with the Clerk or placed in attorneys' mailboxes, and are made available for pickup after notice to the parties or counsel.

Written reports filed by the guardian ad litem and/or evaluating psychologist will be kept in Confidential Family Files in the office of the Domestic Relations Court. Upon submission of either of these reports to the Court, the Domestic Relations Assignment Commissioner will file a Notice of Availability with the Clerk of Court's Office and provide copies of this Notice to parties and/or their respective counsel. Copies of the reports may then be picked up by the parties and/or counsel in the office of the Domestic Relations Court. To preserve confidentiality, these reports will not be filed in the Clerk of Court's Office nor will copies be put in attorney's mail boxes.

INFO

A party, attorney, or other person whose personal and private information appears in a public court record may petition for its removal and non-public treatment if the request is granted.

A party or an attorney in a case, or any other person whose personal and private information is contained in a public record of this court may petition the court for removal of personal and private information, and if the request is granted, the personal and private information will be removed from a stamped-filed document and placed in a separate envelope and deemed a non-public record.