How to Remove Court Records from Google and the Internet
A 2026 guide to getting old court cases, dockets, and judgments off Google, legal research websites, and AI answers.
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Can You Remove Court Records from the Internet?
Can You Remove Court Records from the Internet?
Yes, in most cases. The official record stays with the court unless it is expunged or sealed, but the copies published on third-party websites such as Justia, UniCourt, CourtListener, Trellis, and PacerMonitor can often be removed, redacted, or de-indexed. Once the source page is removed or blocked from indexing, Google and Bing drop it from search results, and AI assistants that rely on those results stop repeating it over time.
This guide explains how court record removal works, which cases are easiest to remove, and how to handle each of the major court record websites. Updated October 2026.
Key Facts About Removing Court Records
Key Facts About Removing Court Records
Official court records are controlled by the court. Only a court order, such as an expungement or sealing order, changes them.
Copies on legal research and public record websites are controlled by those websites, and each has its own removal, redaction, or opt-out policy.
Google generally will not remove a court record on request, but it drops a result once the source page is deleted, changed, or blocked from indexing. Google's Refresh Outdated Content tool speeds this up.
Google's Results about you tool can remove search results that show your phone number, home address, or email address.
One case is often copied to several sites. Removing a single copy can let another copy rise in search results.
Expunged, sealed, dismissed, and older civil cases are usually the easiest records to remove.
How to Remove a Court Case from Google: Step by Step
How to Remove a Court Case from Google: Step by Step
Find every copy. Search your full name, your name with your city, and your case number on Google and Bing, then check the court record websites listed below. Save each URL.
Check for expungement or sealing. If you qualify in the court where the case was filed, get a certified copy of the order. It is the strongest document you can include with a removal request.
Request removal at the source. Follow each website's own removal, redaction, or opt-out process. Many require one request per URL plus supporting proof, such as a court order, dismissal, or ID.
Update the search engines. Once a page is removed or changed, submit the URL to Google's Refresh Outdated Content tool and to Bing's Content Removal tool.
Remove exposed personal details. Use Google's Results about you tool to request removal of results that show your phone number, home address, or email address.
Monitor for re-posting. Set Google Alerts for your name and case number. Many sites re-scrape court data and can republish a case months later.
Which Court Records Are Easiest to Remove?
Which Court Records Are Easiest to Remove?
Removal outcomes depend on the website's policy and the type of case. In general:
Usually easier to remove
Usually easier to remove
Expunged or sealed cases
Dismissed charges, acquittals, and cases with no conviction
Juvenile matters and cases naming minors
Records that expose Social Security numbers, dates of birth, financial account numbers, or medical information
Divorce, family, and small civil cases with no public interest
Identity theft and mistaken identity cases
Usually harder to remove
Usually harder to remove
Recent criminal convictions
Published appellate opinions that serve as legal precedent
Cases involving public officials or newsworthy events
Regulatory disclosures, such as FINRA BrokerCheck records, which generally require FINRA's own expungement process
Why Old Court Cases Keep Showing Up
Why Old Court Cases Keep Showing Up
Legal research sites automatically copy dockets, filings, and opinions from PACER, state court portals, and published case law. Each copy becomes its own search result, and AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity can repeat what those pages say.
That is why one case can appear on several sites at once, and why removing a single copy is rarely enough.
Court Record Websites and How to Remove Your Case from Each
Court Record Websites and How to Remove Your Case from Each
These legal research, docket, and public record sites most often publish court cases that appear in Google results. Each one handles removal differently. Select a site name for removal options specific to it.
FINRA's free database of broker and investment firm registrations, disciplinary actions, customer complaints, and arbitration awards. Disclosures are regulatory records and generally come off only through FINRA's expungement process.
An AI-assisted case law research platform that publishes U.S. and international court judgments. Opinions naming individuals and businesses are indexed by Google.
Tracks federal court dockets from PACER, including civil, criminal, and bankruptcy cases. Docket pages list party names and filings and often rank for a person's name.
A court record and case law search site built for non-lawyers. Case pages can surface in name searches long after a case has closed.
FindLaw.com
FindLaw.com
A Thomson Reuters legal information site and attorney directory that hosts a large archive of state and federal court opinions.
JuralIndex
JuralIndex
A public records search site covering judgments, tax liens, lawsuits, evictions, and divorce and family cases for people and companies nationwide.
JudyRecords.com
JudyRecords.com
A free search engine for hundreds of millions of U.S. court cases. Because it indexes full case text, it often surfaces older civil and criminal matters.
One of the largest publishers of U.S. court opinions, with millions of indexed pages. Published opinions are among the hardest records to remove, but some can be anonymized or de-indexed.
A LexisNexis legal news service that reports on lawsuits, judgments, and court rulings. Because it is journalism, removal usually depends on an update, correction, or de-indexing rather than deletion.
PlainSite.org
PlainSite.org
A legal transparency site that republishes federal and state dockets, filings, and opinions, along with party profiles.
Trellis.law
Trellis.law
An AI-powered state trial court research platform that publishes dockets and filings from courts across the United States.
FreeCourtCase.com
FreeCourtCase.com
Collects court records from around the country and lets visitors search lawsuits and cases by party, lawyer, judge, or court.
CourtCaseFinder.com
CourtCaseFinder.com
An aggregator that pulls court records from public record databases and lets visitors search old cases and lawsuits by name.
A public record search site that lists criminal and court records, birth records, and other government data, often alongside names and addresses.
A free legal information site that publishes case law, opinions, and federal court dockets. Justia dockets and opinions frequently rank on page one for a party's name.
A docket search and litigation analytics tool used by lawyers and the public. Its case pages list parties, filings, and docket entries.
A federal and state docket tracking service launched in 2014 and used by large business law firms. Case pages can be indexed by search engines.
CourtRecords.org
CourtRecords.org
Publishes state and federal court cases from across the United States, exposing personal details from case files to anyone who searches a name.
DivorceRecords.org
DivorceRecords.org
A divorce records database and search tool that has published records from tens of thousands of U.S. divorce proceedings.
PublicRecords360.com
PublicRecords360.com
A subscription public records search site that gives members access to court, criminal, and other government records.
CourtListener.com
CourtListener.com
A free, nonprofit legal search site run by Free Law Project. It hosts millions of opinions and the RECAP archive of federal court dockets and filings.
Bankrupt.com
Bankrupt.com
A bankruptcy news source that publishes thousands of personal and business bankruptcy filings from across the United States.
BankruptReport.com
BankruptReport.com
Reports personal and business bankruptcy filings in the United States, often listing the filer's name and location.
Chapter11Cases.com
Chapter11Cases.com
Covers Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in the United States and hosts a large archive of filing records.
A court data platform that makes federal and state court records searchable by party name. UniCourt case pages often appear in Google results for individuals and small businesses named in lawsuits.
A legal research service acquired by Thomson Reuters in 2023 and since folded into its CoCounsel product. Older Casetext opinion pages may still appear in search results or on copies elsewhere.
SAFPS
SAFPS
The Southern African Fraud Prevention Service is a nonprofit fraud prevention database in South Africa. Listings are handled through SAFPS's own dispute process rather than U.S. court rules.
Court Record Removal FAQs
Court Record Removal FAQs
How do I remove a court case from Google?
How do I remove a court case from Google?
Google rarely removes court records directly. First remove or de-index the case at the source website, then ask Google to recrawl the URL with its Refresh Outdated Content tool. If the record has been expunged or sealed, include the court order with every request. It is the strongest evidence you can provide.
Will Google remove court records if I ask?
Will Google remove court records if I ask?
Usually not on request alone. Google's policies allow removal of certain personal data, such as Social Security numbers, bank or card numbers, and contact details through its Results about you tool, but not the case itself. Once the source page is removed or changed, Google drops or updates the result.
Does expungement remove my case from the internet?
Does expungement remove my case from the internet?
No. Expungement or sealing changes the official court file, but websites that already copied the record are not notified and usually keep it online. You need to send the order to each website and then request search engine updates.
Can a published court opinion be removed?
Can a published court opinion be removed?
Published appellate opinions are the hardest records to remove because they serve as legal precedent. Some publishers will anonymize names, block the page from search engines, or remove it in cases involving sealing orders, identity theft, or safety concerns. Results are case by case.
How long does court record removal take?
How long does court record removal take?
A site that honors removal requests may act within days, while others take several weeks. After removal, Google and Bing typically update their results within a few days to a few weeks. Cases copied to many sites take longer because each copy is handled separately.
Why is my case on so many websites?
Why is my case on so many websites?
Court data sites scrape PACER, state court portals, and each other. One docket can be copied to many sites, and each copy gets its own search listing. That is why it helps to find and remove every copy, not just the top result.
Can a removed court record come back?
Can a removed court record come back?
Yes. Sites can re-scrape the court and republish a case, and new sites may copy it. Monitoring your name and case number and acting quickly on new copies keeps it from resurfacing.
Will removing a case from Google remove it from ChatGPT and other AI answers?
Will removing a case from Google remove it from ChatGPT and other AI answers?
AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity draw on web pages that are indexed in search. Removing and de-indexing the source pages is the most effective way to stop a case from appearing in AI answers, although cached summaries can take time to update.
Is it legal to remove public court records from websites?
Is it legal to remove public court records from websites?
Yes. Asking a private website to remove or de-index its copy of a record is legal, and the website decides whether to honor the request. Removal does not change the official court file, which can only be changed by a court order such as expungement or sealing.
How much does court record removal cost?
How much does court record removal cost?
Do-it-yourself requests are free on many sites. Professional removal is usually priced per link and depends on the website and the case. A free, confidential review gives you a firm quote before any work begins.
Do I need a lawyer to remove court records online?
Do I need a lawyer to remove court records online?
Not to request removal from websites. You do need an attorney or your court's self-help process to expunge or seal a record, and a sealing or expungement order makes removal requests much stronger.
Get a Free, Confidential Court Record Removal Review
Get a Free, Confidential Court Record Removal Review
Tell us where your case appears and a content removal specialist will review every link, explain your options, and give you a firm quote before any work begins.
Removal from court record websites plus Google and Bing
Firm per-link pricing quoted up front
Money-back guarantee on agreed removals
Pay-after-removal and payment plan options
Free re-removal if a removed court record is re-posted on the same site
Call (844) 272-0280 or complete the form at the top of this page.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Remove Online Information is not a law firm and is not affiliated with Google or with any website listed on this page. Removing a website's copy of a record does not change official court records.
Court Record Removal Community Q&A
Court Record Removal Community Q&A
Have a question about a specific website or case? Browse past questions or ask your own in the discussion below. The same steps on this page also work for removing other negative search results, and you can find more guides for removing unwanted information online on our home page.
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