Butler County Court of Common Pleas, General Division Sealing & Redaction Procedures

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

(B) 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 extends to, and includes, exhibits and addenda attached to filings, such as preliminary and final judicial reports, which itemize state tax liens that use social security numbers as case number; medical records; and personal information, such as may be found under R.C. 2907, “Sex Offenses.”

The clerk must place documents authorized for sealing in white envelopes taped shut and covered with an embossed seal.

(1) seal the document or documents or case file in a white envelope (or envelopes), with tape, covered by an embossed seal;

The clerk must attach a copy of the sealing order to the outside of the sealed envelope.

(2) attach a copy of the entry sealing the document or documents or case file to the outside of the envelope;

A document or case file placed under seal must be removed from public view on the clerk’s website.

(4) cause the document or documents or case file to be removed from view on the Clerk of Courts website;

A sealed document or case file may not be viewed without a further court order.

(5) and, shall not permit any viewing of the document or documents or case file without further order of the Court.

A sealed document may be viewed by the trial judge, an appellate judge reviewing the appeal, or another person only after obtaining judicial approval through a motion and proposed entry.

(C) A sealed document or documents or case file may only be viewed: (1) by the trial judge who ordered the sealing of the document or documents or case file; (2) by an appellate judge who is reviewing the case on appeal; or, (3) by filing a motion and proposed entry with the judge who sealed the document or documents or case file. If the judge grants the motion, the signed entry must be filed in the Clerk of Courts office. The Clerk will then break the seal and make the document or documents or case file available for viewing, and restore the view of the document or documents or case file to the website.

When immediate resealing is ordered after viewing, the clerk may provide temporary access but must not restore website visibility.

(D) When a motion and entry are filed to allow a party to view a sealed document or documents or case file, and the same entry orders the Clerk of Courts to reseal the document or documents or case file immediately after viewing, the Clerk shall follow the same procedure as (C)(3) above, except that the Clerk shall not make the document or documents or case file available for view on the website.

A person temporarily permitted to view sealed materials may not disclose their contents to others.

The person granted temporary access to the document or documents or case filed shall not divulge the contents to others.

The Clerk and Deputy Clerks are not responsible for removing personal and private information from publicly filed documents.

(C) The Clerk of Courts and Deputy Clerks have no responsibility for the removal of any personal and private information filed in a public document in the Butler County Clerk of Courts office.

Personal information in earlier filings and records transmitted from another court is public, but an affected person may petition for its removal and redaction.

(D) Any personal and private information contained 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. A party or an attorney in a case, or any other person whose personal and private information is contained in the public record of this Court may petition the Court for the removal of personal and private information and, if the request is granted, the personal and private information will be redacted.