Keeping sensitive divorce details private in California is challenging because judicial proceedings and filed court records are open to the public by default. However, under limited circumstances, some privacy options may be available to you.
What options do you have to keep the divorce details private?
Under rare circumstances, a California court may keep the divorce details from public view upon request. However, a court grants such exceptions only for extremely important circumstances, such as protecting trade secrets, personal privacy or proprietary information. That being said, you usually have two main options for privacy:
Attorneys’ eyes only: In discovery, you can request a court order designating files “attorneys’ eyes only” to prevent your spouse from personally reviewing sensitive documents; however, this does not automatically seal records from public view if they are later filed with the court.
Sealing the documents: If you have a compelling justification to keep the document from public view, you can request that a judge seal the document.
The court usually accepts the above options only if no other less restrictive option exists.
Settling outside of court
You can also get more privacy by choosing to settle your case outside of court. This is often achieved through hiring a mediator or a private judge. By using a private marital settlement agreement, you may leave your private financial details, like business values and stock shares, out of the public court record.
Why early planning matters for divorce privacy
Proactive planning is essential in California high-asset divorce cases because sensitive information is difficult to remove once it enters the public record. With the help of a divorce attorney, you can sift through the documents to detect the details that you want to keep private and try to figure out how you can go about it.
