Obtaining copies of court papers from about 5 years ago or so?

Question

There are some court papers that may or may not have been filed about 5 years ago that I need to obtain copies of. The reason I say may or may not have been filed is because I never received copies of said papers and the court did have my current contact information.

The situation this is regarding is too complicated to go into right here right now.

The papers would have been filed in another county in another state.

If I call or right the appropriate court clerk and there is in fact copies would they be able to send them to me? I am more than willing to pay.

Also if the papers do not exist would it be possible to obtain proof of that as well?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Wow.  I couldn't pass up this question.  You have a computer.  Look up the web site of the County Court House in that State.  That should give you phone numbers.  Call them; ask who or what department you should talk to.  Hope you get someone helpful and nice.   Explain you are out of state.  Ask them to research the said papers.....go from there.  If they don't exist....ask them if they can send that statement to you to a fax or mail.  Yes, you may have to pay for it.  They usually do charge.  Sometimes that information is on their web site.

Answer 2

It is easiest to begin with the attorney who represents you or who represented you in the action.  Contact his or her office and ask for copies of the papers.  Be prepared to pay for copying expenses.  Attorneys archive old case files, so it may take a week or so to get a response with the information you need.

You make it sound like you are not dealing through an attorney and want to do all the digging yourself. Not all counties have records available on the internet, so you may be frustrated even if you know the state and county. You can do it if you know what to do and where to start. First of all, you need to know both the state and county where the legal action was filed, the year, and the names of the plaintiff and defendant.  You can typically call the office of the Clerk of Court (civil court) or Prothonotary and ask them to look up the docket on the case.  You can then go to the courthouse and see or make copies of whatever papers you need to have copies made.  

If you live some distance from the courthouse, you can call and make arrangements for them to copy and mail you the documents.  They will send you copies upon receipt of a check or money order from you covering their expenses for copying.

If papers do not exist, you can write to the appropriate office and ask them to respond in writing on official letterhead for that office that they do not exist.

As an alternative, most real estate title companies have searchers who can get the information from the courthouse for you for a reasonable fee.