Privacy Guidelines

PRIVACY ISSUES
Effective December 1, 2003

The Office of the Clerk is now accepting electronically filed documents and pleadings and making the content of these pleadings available on the court.s internet website via WebPACER. Documents and pleadings filed on paper will be imaged, posted to WebPACER and will be similarly available. Any subscriber to WebPACER will be able to read, download, store and print the full content of the electronically filed documents. The clerk.s office will not make electronically available documents that have been sealed or otherwise restricted by court order.

You should not include sensitive information in any document filed with the court unless such inclusion is required by the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure or Official Bankruptcy Forms or the inclusion is otherwise necessary and relevant to the case. You must remember that any personal information not otherwise protected will be made available over the Internet via WebPACER. Sensitive information should be redacted or not included unless specifically required by statue, Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure or Official Bankruptcy Forms. Social Security numbers should only include the last 4 digits, except when full number is indicated. Financial account numbers, dates of birth and names of minor children should only be included if indicated.

If any of the following documents are included in a filing, exercise caution and do not include the full numbers, unless specified:

1) any personal identifying number, such as driver's license number;
2) medical records, treatment and diagnosis;
3) employment history;
4) individual financial information; and
5) proprietary or trade secret information.

The clerk's office will not review documents for redaction. We will image all pleadings which are filed even if they contain personal identifying information.

For more specific information on our court's procedures regarding privacy click on the links below:

• Notice to Bar and Public Re Privacy Issues Vol. I
• Notice to Bar and Public Re Privacy Issues Vol. II
• Notice to Bar and Public Re Privacy Issues Vol. III