Going through the divorce itself is stressful, and every Divorce record contains personal information. The state’s laws vary as to who can access the records, and hence it is advisable to check with an expert attorney to obtain a washington state divorce record
Mostly the two parties involved in the divorce and their attorneys are given access to the records. Others can get to view the copies. Anyone who wishes to view the Divorce records needs to do it through a request form to the court which gave divorce. Though the court automatically seals certain sensitive information like bank account details social security numbers from public access, you can request the court seal the record to protect any data. This record is then not available for public access.
Sealing a Divorce record:
The court decides to seal the record if you prove that the protection of records is essential than it is available for public access.
The list below can be considered but not limited to sealing
-Physical and mental health
-Minor children’s information
-False allegations made during the court proceedings
-Domestic abuse
-Child abuse
-Financial and Business information
Once you apply to the court for sealing the details, only those details would not be available; the rest records would be available for public access.
In a very rare scenario, the court allows someone other than the two parties access to the sealed records.
Anyone who wants access to a sealed record needs to go via a proper petition filing process followed by a hearing to explain the reasons for access.
Ways to protect your private information in a Divorce
-The easiest way to protect your information is not to involve the court in your divorce and settle it out of court.
1) Mediation Method
Couples who do not intend to waste time and money behind court proceedings generally opt for the Mediation or Collaborative method of divorce.
In the Mediation method, a neutral third party helps the couple negotiate the terms of the divorce.
2) Collaborative Method
In the Collaborative method, the parties and their attorneys put collaborative efforts to settle. If it doesn’t work out, the couple needs to hire different or new attorneys to start court proceedings.
Conclusion:
Suppose both parties involved in the divorce are worried about the privacy and security of their personal data. In that case, they can work out a way to settle the divorce out of court, and the details then are not available for public access.
