Relating to court records for residential forcible entry and detainer actions and including effective date provisions

This bill relates to sealing court records of residential forcible entry and detainer actions (eviction actions). _____ material fact between the parties. 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 seven years have passed since disposition, the applicant has not been found guilty in a subsequent eviction action in the five-year period preceding the application, the applicant within the last years has not been granted a sealing of eviction court records, and the applicant has paid all costs. The application to seal shall be included in the sealed court records. The bill requires the court in an eviction action for nonpayment of rent in which the defendant is found guilty to enter an order sealing the court records if the application to seal is filed jointly by the plaintiff and defendant and the defendant has paid all court costs, fees, fines, and any other fees ordered by the court or clerk of the district court in the case. The bill provides that upon sealing the court records, all filings, documentation, and writs of association shall be removed from any publicly accessible location. Sealed court records shall not be available for public inspection except upon request by the defendant or the attorney for the defendant 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 state court administrator 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 while still providing the public with information relating to eviction actions. Under the bill, certain provisions do not apply to an application to seal a record for an eviction action by a defendant found guilty when a money judgment has been awarded to the plaintiff. _____ Certain provisions of the bill relating to an application to seal do not create an independent cause of action by a tenant for use of lawfully obtained information. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.