Q: Are full details of a past divorce available to the public?
3rd Judicial Court offers online searches, but it seems to be limited details. Is more information available to the public, such as reasons for the filing?
A: This is a public record, and public records are reviewable by the public. What someone says in pleadings is public record. Most attorneys, however, recognize that it is public and say the bare minimum in pleadings and motions. Laypeople do not, and they frequently rant on for pages about inconsequential matters. So, it depends upon what is in the public record. Let's take for instance people who are filing their own petitions and motions concerning the custody of a small child. The mother says absolutely horrible things about the father, and the father does the same about the mother. Now, when that child grows up, he or she can go see what the parents said about each other in the official court file. That is just one reason an attorney is needed for each and every case.
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