A divorce can be a painful experience for a number of reasons. One of these involves the fact that divorces are private matters. Many individuals who get divorced wonder whether others will be able to look up their divorce records.
The laws on whether divorce records are public vary from one state to another. Unfortunately, it is possible for most people to look up divorce records in Florida. This overview will describe how the process works.
Florida law classifies divorce records as public records. Therefore, divorce records are likely to be available to members of the public unless they have been sealed or expunged.
There are valid reasons for such a policy. For example, divorce records may contain information about matters such as domestic abuse. Potential employers may want to know about this information before hiring an employee.
However, looking up divorce records in Florida isn’t necessarily an easy process. Someone must first know which county the case was in. They may not have this information.
They then need to visit the website or office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court in that county. The website may provide a means of requesting divorce records online. If it does not, the person will need to visit the office in person.
The process of requesting divorce records involves filling out an application. The person making the request will usually be required to provide certain information before they can access the records.
This information will typically include:
Someone making this type of request may also need to specify their relationship to the parties involved. In some instances, they are even required to provide the case number. This can be challenging if the person making the request doesn’t know many details about the divorce in question. There will also be a fee for filing a request.
It’s unlikely someone would go through the lengthy process of requesting a divorce record if they didn’t have a good reason to do so.
It’s possible an employer may want to look your divorce record up as part of a due diligence check. Or, maybe you’re getting romantically involved with a new partner. They might decide to look up your divorce records to ensure they’re not getting involved with a narcissist who has a history of abuse or infidelity.
Be aware that Florida began archiving divorce records in 1927. You won’t be able to access the records of a divorce case that was finalized before then.
The main point to understand is that accessing divorce records in Florida is tedious but possible. However, you might want to keep this in mind if you’re in the middle of a divorce. It may influence how you proceed with the case if you’re concerned about certain personal information being available to the public. On the other hand, you don’t want your case to end unfavorably because you were reluctant to discuss certain matters.
This highlights one of the many reasons it’s important to enlist the help of a qualified Florida divorce attorney. They can help you better determine how to strike a balance between maintaining a degree of privacy while still optimizing your chances of finalizing the case in a favorable way.
Contact the experienced Orlando divorce lawyers at McMichen, Cinami & Demps today for legal assistance. Contact our Orlando, FL office at (407) 898-2161 to schedule a free consultation.