HSB 257

The bill provides that upon application of a defendant found guilty in an eviction action for nonpayment of rent, the court shall seal the court records if more than three years have passed since disposition, the applicant has not been found guilty in subsequent eviction action in the three-year period preceding the application, and the applicant within the last years has not been granted a sealing of eviction court records. The application to seal shall be included in the sealed court records. The bill provides that upon sealing of court records, all filings, documentation, and writs of association shall be removed from any publicly accessible location. _____ by filing a motion in the sealed case or application to the judicial branch using a form to be prescribed by the supreme court for scholarly, educational, journalistic, or governmental purposes. The bill requires the clerk of court in the county in which an action is originated to maintain a record in the aggregate of all filings and to make such information available to the public in such a manner prescribed by the supreme court as to protect the identity of the parties and to promote the goals of the bill by providing the public with information relating to eviction actions while protecting the parties involved. The bill provides that upon sealing a consumer reporting agency shall not disclose the existence of, or information regarding, an eviction action or other civil action sealed or made confidential under the bill or use such action as a factor to determine any score or recommendation to be included in a consumer report regarding any person named in such case.