Civil Court Records - What You Should Know About Them

Civil court records are from cases that are not criminal in nature. Civil cases encompass a broad range of types and must undergo several stages before the trial commences.

Civil court records: What Kinds?

Civil court records are documents kept from a case that has been tried in a civil court. A civil case is generally defined as any case which is not a violation of criminal law. Civil cases still run the gamut, but there are always civil court records that are kept after these proceedings

There are several kinds of civil court cases. General cases usually involve the settling of disputes regarding contracts, personal injury and damages to property, which may or may not have arisen from accidents. When it comes to family civil cases, these cover disputes regarding divorce and annulment, and also settlements on child custody and alimony. A juvenile court for civil cases also exists, where individuals below the age of 18 are tried. Aside from juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, where individuals under the age of 18 are abused or neglected, are also tried in juvenile courts.

If there is a conflict between landlords and tenants or any conflict related to property and real estate, these are also tried in a specified civil court. Probate cases are also considered civil cases, as they determine the legality of a final will and testament, the legal guardians of children below 18, and the adoption proceedings after the death of an individual. Small claims cases are for those cases where the amount of money being contested or to be awarded is less than five thousand dollars. In small claims cases, you will not be allowed to have a lawyer, as everyone should be able to defend himself or herself.

Civil Court Records: Stages Of Filing A Case

When an incident qualified for civil proceedings occurs to you, this is called the pre-filing stage. This may be an intention for separation from your spouse, a car accident, or the death of an individual. Once you fill out the appropriate forms to commence legal action, you start with the filing stage. You are usually required to allow the other party to receive the claim and opt for an out of court settlement, which is called the discovery stage.

If there is no settlement made, then you are usually given a pretrial period of about ninety days. During this time, you are asked to call on witnesses, prepare all the relevant documents and be ready for the actual trial period. Your trial could drag on for months, even years, depending on the kind of civil case that was filed, all of which will be recorded in civil court records. 

Learn more about the intricacies of civil court proceedings and how access to court records at the Court Records section of RecordsSiteReviews.