are all lawsuits made available for public viewing? if so, where can i look?

Question

or does it depend on the type of lawsuit?

looking for a service that is free, if possible.

Answer 1

Court record are public records except for juvenile violations and criminal offenses that did not result in conviction.

Answer 2

Only certain parts of the lawsuit are public records. The names of the parties, the type of case, and certain basic pleadings will be in the court clerk's office and, these days, on their web site. But much of the detail of the case is between the parties, and does not get filed with the court.

Then there are certain cases, mostly in family law, where very little is public. Cases involving minors are almost always done under the anonymity of first name and last initial only: the Matter of John D., a Minor.

In criminal law cases, a great deal is public record, but the reports of probation officers and the like, at the very least, are not. And again, attorney/client privilege protects a great deal that does not go into the court file.

It is also true than even when a case would normally be open to public record, the parties can petition the court to have some things kept confidential due to a variety of circumstances. One of the most common is to avoid revealing business secrets.

Answer 3

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