Rule 25-59A. Sealing Files or Limiting Disclosure of Documents in Family Matters

(a) Except as otherwise provided by law, there shall be a presumption that documents filed with the court shall be available to the public.

(b) Except as provided in this section and except as otherwise provided by law, including Section 13-5, the judicial authority shall not order that any files, affidavits, documents, or other materials on file with the court or filed in connection with a court proceeding be sealed or their disclosure limited.

(c) Upon written motion of any party, or upon its own motion, the judicial authority may order that files, affidavits, documents, or other materials on file or lodged with the court or in connection with a court proceeding be sealed or their disclosure limited only if the judicial authority concludes that such order is necessary to preserve an interest which is determined to override the public's interest in viewing such materials. The judicial authority shall first consider reasonable alternatives to any such order and any such order shall be no broader than necessary to protect such overriding interest. An agreement of the parties to seal or limit the disclosure of documents on file with the court or filed in connection with a court proceeding shall not constitute a sufficient basis for the issuance of such an order.

(d) In connection with any order issued pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, the judicial authority shall articulate the overriding interest being protected and shall specify its findings underlying such order and the duration of such order. If any findings would reveal information entitled to remain confidential, those findings may be set forth in a sealed portion of the record. The time, date, scope and duration of any such order shall be set forth in a writing signed by the judicial authority which upon issuance the court clerk shall immediately enter in the court file. The judicial authority shall order that a transcript of its decision be included in the file or prepare a memorandum setting forth the reasons for its order.

(e) Except as otherwise ordered by the judicial authority, a motion to seal or limit the disclosure of affidavits, documents, or other materials on file or lodged with the court or filed in connection with a court proceeding shall be calendared so that notice to the public is given of the time and place of the hearing on the motion and to afford the public an opportunity to be heard on the motion under consideration. The procedures set forth in Sections 7-4B and 7-4C shall be followed in connection with a motion to file affidavits, documents or other materials under seal or to limit their disclosure.

(f) (1) A motion to seal the contents of an entire court file shall be placed on the short calendar to be held not less than fifteen days following the filing of the motion, unless the judicial authority otherwise directs, so that notice to the public is given of the time and place of the hearing on the motion and to afford the public an opportunity to be heard on the motion under consideration. The procedures set forth in Sections 7-4B and 7-4C shall be followed in connection with such motion.

(2) The judicial authority may issue an order sealing the contents of an entire court file only upon a finding that there is not available a more narrowly tailored method of protecting the overriding interest, such as redaction or sealing a portion of the file. The judicial authority shall state in its decision or order each of the more narrowly tailored methods that was considered and the reason each such method was unavailable or inadequate.

(g) The provisions of this section shall not apply to settlement conferences or negotiations or to documents submitted to the court in connection with such conferences or negotiations. The provisions of this section shall apply to settlement agreements which have been filed with the court or have been incorporated into a judgment of the court.

(h) Sworn statements of current income, expenses, assets and liabilities filed with the court pursuant to Sections 25-30 and 25a-15 shall be under seal and be disclosable only to the judicial authority, to court personnel, to the parties to the action and their attorneys, and to any guardians ad litem and attorneys appointed for any minor children involved in the matter, except as otherwise ordered by the judicial authority. Any person may file a motion to unseal these documents. When such motion is filed, the provisions of paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section shall apply and the party who filed the documents shall have the burden of proving that they should remain sealed. The judicial authority shall order that the automatic sealing pursuant to this paragraph shall terminate with respect to all such sworn statements then on file with the court when any hearing is held at which financial issues are in dispute. This shall not preclude a party from filing a motion to seal or limit disclosure of such sworn statements pursuant to this section.

(i) Any Income Withholding for Support form (JD-FM-1) filed with the clerk's office, after being signed by the clerk, shall be returned to the filer for service on the payer of income. A copy of the signed form shall be retained for the court file and shall be under seal. Any such copy shall be disclosable only to the judicial authority, to court personnel, to the parties to the action and their attorneys, and to any individual or entity under cooperative agreement with the Title IV-D agency requesting disclosure of such form in the administration of the child support program. Any person may file a motion to unseal this document. A copy of the signed form with all Social Security numbers and dates of birth redacted by the clerk shall be retained in the court file and be available for public inspection.

(j) When placed on a short calendar, motions filed under this rule shall be listed in a separate section titled "Motions to Seal or Close" and shall also be listed with the time, date and place of the hearing on the Judicial Branch website. A notice of such motion being placed on the short calendar shall, upon issuance of the short calendar, be posted on a bulletin board adjacent to the clerk's office and accessible to the public.

Committee Notes

amended June 21, 2004, to take effect Jan. 1, 2005; amended See also the Commentary to Section 42-49A. The above change to subsection (h) adds to those catego- ries of individuals to whom financial affidavits filed with the court pursuant to Section 25-30 are disclosable the following: guardians ad litem and attorneys appointed for the minor children. HISTORY—2012: Prior to 2012, the last sentence of sub- section (i) read: ''A copy of the short calendar page containing the aforesaid section shall, upon issuance of the short calen- dar, be posted on a bulletin board adjacent to the clerk's office and accessible to the public.'' COMMENTARY—2012: intended to provide for the electronic filing and processing of documents and orders, and the maintenance of court records, where the present terminology, filing requirements or pro- cesses that are applicable in a paper environment result in confusion or redundancy when applied to an electronic envi- ronment. HISTORY—2014: In 2014, ''and 25a-15'' was added to the first sentence of subsection (h), following ''25-30,'' and ''Section'' was made plural, before ''25-30 and 25a-15.'' COMMENTARY—2014: The above change is made to make clear that the provisions of Section 25-59A (h) apply to sworn statements filed under Section 25a-15 (a). HISTORY—2016: In 2016, what had been the second and third sentences of subsection (h) were deleted. Prior to 2016, the second and third sentences of subsection (h) read: ''When such sworn statements are filed, the clerk shall place them in a sealed envelope clearly identified with the words 'Financial Affidavit.' All such sworn statements that are filed in a case may be placed in the same sealed envelope.'' Also in 2016, what is now subsection (i) was added and what had been subsection (i) was designated subsection (j). COMMENTARY—2016: The language that has been deleted in subsection (h) was applicable to a paper file. There are, as of December 15, 2014, paperless family files for which sealing financial affidavits in an envelope is not applicable. A comparable electronic process ''seals'' those affidavits in accordance with the other provisions of this section. New subsection (i) concerns the Income Withholding for Support form (JD-FM-1) which is a federally mandated form. The Social Security number and dates of birth are required fields, and there is currently no law that protects this informa- tion from disclosure. Family files are now electronic and may be viewed from any courthouse public access computer in the state, allowing for greater access to these documents without the need to go to a clerk's office. Therefore, the most secure way of protecting the Social Security number and other per- sonal identifying information on this form is to seal the copy of the form that is retained in the court file. A provision has been included to allow any person to move to unseal the document. A redacted copy of the signed form will be retained in the court file for public inspection.