Legal issues can drag on for ages. That’s the simple, unfortunate truth.
Worse, once a legal matter is filed in court, the case is highly likely to become visible on the web. Hundreds of websites now aggregate public court records and publish them for the world to see.
The issue I commonly come across for clients is that court records tend to rank highly in Google search results for both individuals and businesses. Lawsuits and various other legal matters attached to your name can cause long-lasting harm to your reputation.
Regardless of why a lawsuit was filed, being associated with a court case can cause a negative perception and first impression to people searching for you online.
Thankfully, there are several solutions to remove or suppress court records and lawsuits that are displayed in Google search results.
How do old court records appearing in Google search results affect your online reputation?
We all make mistakes. And we all deal with issues that may be out of our control.
However, some mistakes or issues are more costly than others and can lead to legal proceedings that drag on for months – or even years.
Should a (possibly minor) court case from five or 10 years ago affect the reputation of your person or business? Should it define you?
No, it shouldn’t.
As humans, we have the right to move on from our past and strive toward a better future.
Unfortunately, court records from years ago are often available online. It used to be that one would have to visit a local court records office and request that a clerk release court records. This was a long, arduous process that included a lot of back and forth with government office workers.
That is no longer the case. These days, Google’s algorithm indexes this highly sensitive information and makes it available online.
That means court records can be found in Google search results in mere milliseconds. And they often appear on the first page of search results.
Various websites, including Leagle, Justia, Casetext, PacerMonitor and many more, contain publicly available court records.
The presence of this information on these websites can harm you or your business’s reputation. It can specifically harm your ability to get a new job or lead to potential customers doubting your morals and not trusting your business.
All that simply because of some unpaid parking tickets? Or because you committed a “crime” that has since been deemed legal in several states? Or because of a dysfunctional marriage that led to a divorce?
The good news is that there are ways to combat the issue.
Dig deeper: How to repair your Google search results and reclaim your online reputation
How to remove court records from the web
The three most common ways to remove court records are expungement, link suppression and record removal requests.
1. Getting a court record sealed or expunged
Several websites that host court records require that the record be expunged or sealed for the content to be removed from their website. Expungement is a legal process in which a court order is issued to remove or seal records of a criminal conviction or arrest.
Sealing a court record typically means that it is not destroyed but hidden from public view. However, it may still be accessible to law enforcement, government agencies and employers conducting background checks.
Before considering getting your record expunged or sealed to have the court record removed from the web, confirm the website’s policies regarding how they process removal requests.
Getting a court record expunged or sealed involves several steps and considerations.
Here’s a simple overview of the process and what you need to know:
- Eligibility: Not all convictions or arrests can be expunged or sealed. Eligibility criteria typically depend on factors such as the type of offense, the time since the conviction or arrest and whether you have fulfilled all sentencing requirements (like probation or fines).
- Research your jurisdiction: Laws regarding expungement vary by state or country. Research the specific laws and procedures in your jurisdiction. Many jurisdictions have information available online or through legal aid organizations.
- Gather the necessary information: You will likely need details about the conviction or arrest, including dates, case numbers and court documents. Make sure you have all relevant information before beginning the process.
- Petition the court: In most cases, you must file a petition with the court where the conviction or arrest occurred. The petition typically includes your personal information, details of the offense and reasons why you believe your records should be expunged or sealed.
- Attend a hearing (if required): Depending on your jurisdiction and the specifics of your case, you may need to attend a court hearing where a judge will review your petition and determine whether to grant expungement or sealing of the record.
- Follow up: After filing your petition, follow the instructions given by the court. This may include attending hearings, providing additional documentation, or responding to inquiries from the court.
- Outcome: If your petition is successful, the court will issue an order to expunge or seal your records. Once the order is received, you can submit it to the websites that host the court record to have it removed.
2. Court record link suppression
If you are not able to get your court case expunged or sealed (or you don’t want to go through the process), the next best option is to suppress the unwanted court record link(s) deeper in Google search results. There, it will be less visible to the public.
The process of search engine suppression involves creating new positive or neutral content about yourself that ranks above any negative or unwanted content harming your reputation.
Common strategies to consider if you are looking to suppress court record links are:
- Create and optimize personal websites or blogs.
- Establish and maintain social media profiles.
- Publish high-quality content on industry-specific platforms.
- Utilize online portfolio platforms.
- Optimize existing content on websites you control.
If you’re seeking professional help, most online reputation management firms specialize in suppressing court record links from the web.
Dig deeper: Online reputation management: Top 10 hurdles and how to overcome them
3. Complete removal of court records (case-specific)
In certain situations, you can have the court record completely removed from the website. If the website agrees to remove the court record, it will be taken down immediately and the link will be replaced with a “404 error page.”
Alternatively, some websites will agree to deindex the link from Google search results so it is no longer visible when you search your name.
To determine if a website that hosts court records has a removal policy, you’ll want to search their terms of service (or FAQ section).
Doing so will inform you how to submit a request. Once a removal request is submitted, it can take up to 60 days for it to be processed, depending on the website.
Clearing your digital slate
It’s crucial to manage how court records appear online to protect your personal and/or company reputation.
Even though seeing your court record or lawsuit online can be distressing, there are ways to handle it effectively.
The methods detailed above let you take charge of your online presence, focusing on your current achievements and goals while removing or suppressing court documents that might not reflect who you are now.
Dig deeper: A 3-phased approach to proactive online reputation management
Contributing authors are invited to create content for Search Engine Land and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the search community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. The opinions they express are their own.