You may be surprised to learn that in most cases, Pasadena divorce records are considered public information. They can be accessed by anyone making a legitimate request under Freedom of Information laws.
There are many reasons to be concerned about keeping your divorce settlement private. Divorce files can include sensitive financial information in regards to your income, assets, and property or businesses you own. If you have children, psychological evaluations used to determine custody might be a part of your file. Your divorce file might also include allegations of infidelity, addiction, or other potentially embarrassing accusations made by your former spouse.
Having a cooperative divorce is one simple way to ensure that your privacy remains protected throughout the process of ending your marriage. A cooperative divorce may be a divorce in which a couple comes to an agreement regarding all issues themselves and asks an attorney to draft the final documents or it may be a divorce in which the couple uses a mediator to negotiate child custody, visitation, spousal support, and the division of assets before having their attorneys draft and approve the final documents. The important thing is to keep personal matters away from the court.
In addition to protecting your privacy, a cooperative divorce also offers a cost advantage. In many cases, a cooperative divorce costs one-third what you would expect to spend on a traditional litigated divorce.
If you and your spouse are not able to work together for a cooperative divorce, you may be able to request that the court seal the records. The judge can choose to seal the entire record or certain sensitive portions of the file. Common reasons used to seal divorce records include protecting victims of domestic violence, protecting children from identification, protecting proprietary business information, or preventing the exposure of false allegations that could damage one’s reputation. The mere fact that some information is potentially embarrassing is not enough to grant a request to seal records, however.
How Can We Help?
If you are in need of legal representation during your divorce, please call our office at (626) 683-8113 or email us at info@PasadenaLawOffice.com. Our Pasadena divorce attorneys are eager to advocate for your needs throughout the settlement process.