Recent News

November 20, 2009

Personal Identifiers to be Filed Separately

Clerk of Courts Maryellen O’Shaughnessy today sent out a reminder to ask attorneys to make certain personal information is on a separate document when preparing a Complaint or Pleading to the Court of Common Pleas.

New rules on public access to court records (Sup. R. 44-47) took effect on July 2, and require that parties filing a case document with the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas remove (redact) personal identification information and to place it in a separate form that is not viewable by the public.

“Personal Identifiers,” information to be provided on a separate form, include: social security numbers, except for the last four digits; financial account numbers, including but not limited to debit card, charge card, and credit card numbers; employer and employee identification numbers; and a juvenile’s name in an abuse, neglect, or dependency case, except for the juvenile’s initials or a generic abbreviation such as “CV” for “child victim.”

“We are in the final stages of software and hardware testing, so that we can make images of court documents available over the Internet,” said Clerk O’Shaughnessy. “Compliance with these new Rules of Superintendence is essential, to protect against identity fraud and theft.”

The standard form with which to file personal identification information is called “Confidential Disclosure of Personal Identifiers,” and can be found on the Clerk of Courts website. Look under the Forms section of the pertinent division on which you are filing the document.