Getting divorced is difficult enough, but having all the information made public can be more difficult. There are several reasons why a couple or an individual may want to keep the details of their separation private. However, most commonly, those causes are economic or for the well-being and safety of the children or parties.
If you are from Washington state and tense about sensitive details being made accessible to the public, there are actions you can take to keep your Washington state divorce record private. The ways to keep details regarding your divorce lawsuit confidential and not available by anyone conducting a public search are below:
5 Ways to Keep Your Divorce Information Private in Washington
- Do not Post Any Details of Your Lawsuit on Social Networking Sites
Even after making all of your profile settings personal, a tiny part of the details may still be noticeable. Deal with it on your own and just do not update your status. Conducting this will assure the problems you wish to keep to yourself.
- Appeal the Court to Seal Specific Documents
There are some things that the Court will decide to lock from the document, such as medical records or financial data. Having a copy sealed requires you to store particular papers within your lawsuit.
- Mark Individual Papers as Sensitive
Your attorney can encompass a bold note at the top of the record that implies THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS SENSITIVE DATA. It can encompass social security numbers, birth dates, driver’s license numbers, and other private details you wish to keep confidential. This move is readily acknowledged because disclosing such crucial details can put your children in danger and can also cause invasion of privacy and identity theft.
- Seek a Defensive Order
Another way of protecting your privacy is to file an action for joining into an agreed defensive order. Here you can record everything you wish to keep private, such as deposition transcripts and documents. Parties may either consent to a defensive order or if there is no approval, a couple may still plead one from the judiciary.
- Opt for a Collective Divorce
For individuals who genuinely want to ignore the spotlight, it is suggested that they consider collaborative divorce as a choice because it gives a much-increased level of privacy than a litigated divorce. The partners drive the separation procedure, not the judge, and also, the process is held confidentially behind closed doors.