Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Re: Are lawsuits public record?

Lawsuits, except for juvenile cases, are public records.

All federal lawsuits can be looked up on PACER (psc.uscourts.gov) for 8c/page. Some counties, such as Orange County, have free case information on their websites. L.A. County requires you to know the case number or else pay $5 to look up the "index" of parties. You can also go to a courthouse and look up information and view case files for free.

Some courts even have document images available online.

Re: Are lawsuits public record?

Most lawsuits are public record. Under certain circumstances, a court can seal a docket, but its very rare. To obtain information, you need to go to the courthouse in which the case was filed, to the clerk's office and request to view the file. Some courts have restrictions on how, when and who may view files, but its pretty simple. Even a dismissed, settled or closed matter will still be available, though if it is stored off-site, you may have to request the file and return at a later date to actually view it. Some courts (not many yet) have access to these files online. Do a google search for the court where the lawsuit was filed, and go to their website to see if they have internet access to court records. If not, you will have to go to the courthouse.

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Re: Are lawsuits public record?

Yes. You can access the record at the clerk's office for the courthouse involved. There are computer services that will search the records of all courts in the State or in a County.