Super random question about lawsuits...

[MCB]

When someone files suit against another, the suit is a matter of public record correct?  Like, if you knew that a friend was being sued, could you get a copy of the complaint, without being connected in any real way to the litigants involved?  I realize that of course, once a decision has been made that decision is (usually) a matter of public record.

[Dr. Balsenschaft]

Just ask the court clerk for a copy (you'll have to pay a nominal fee.)

[MCB]

Thanks for the reply!  So do you already have to know about the existence of a pending lawsuit in order to obtain copies of the paperwork, or can you just go to the county clerk with an individual's name and they will dig up any pending lawsuits for you? 

[Dr. Balsenschaft]

I don't know.  It probably depends on the mood of the clerk.  Just call and ask.

[Mimic]

Depending on the court/county, you might actually be able to get that info online. For example, in Illinois, you can go to www.judici.com, select a county, type in a person's name, and see if that person has had any civil or criminal cases in that county, and then actually get a case history. Not all counties participate, and some counties (like Cook in Illinois) have their own online databases. Counties that don't have the info online probably have computers at the courthouse, where you type in a name and get a list of case numbers associated with that name. Then you can just ask the clerk for the case by case number. I practice in two states, and in neither state does a clerk look up a case number for me when I want to see a case - I either look up the case number online or at the courthouse in the clerk's office.