Reviewed by Joseph Chierotti, CEO, Defamation Defenders · Updated October 2026 · 9 min read
There are two separate jobs. To change the official court record, you petition the court to expunge or seal the case, if your state allows it for your case. To get the case out of search results, you have the case removed from third-party sites like Justia, Trellis, UniCourt, PacerMonitor, and CourtListener, then removed from Google. Sealing a record does not automatically remove copies that websites already published.
- Expungement or sealing changes the official record; online removal deals with copies on other websites and in Google.
- Eligibility for expungement and sealing depends on your state, the type of case, and the outcome.
- Legal-data sites republish court filings and don’t update automatically when a case is sealed.
- Many of those sites will remove or hide a case on request, especially sealed, expunged, or dismissed cases.
- Once the source page is gone, Google drops it; a removal request speeds that up.
Table Of Content
Official court records vs. what shows up online
| Official court record | Copies online | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | The court’s own records system | Legal-data sites, people-search sites, news, mugshot sites, and Google |
| Who controls it | The court | Each website, and Google for search results |
| How to change it | Petition to expunge or seal | Removal request to each site, then Google |
| Does one fix the other? | Sealing doesn’t remove online copies | Removing online copies doesn’t change the official record |
Step 1: Find out if you can expunge or seal the case
Expungement generally means a record is erased or treated as if it never happened; sealing means it’s hidden from the public but still exists for courts and some agencies. The terms and rules vary by state.
Who usually qualifies
- Cases that were dismissed or ended in acquittal
- Arrests that never led to charges
- Some older misdemeanors after a waiting period with no new offenses
- Some civil cases, family cases, or cases involving minors, depending on the state
Clean Slate laws
A growing number of states have Clean Slate laws that automatically seal certain older records without a petition. Check your state court’s website or ask a local attorney whether your case qualifies.
The general process
Our court records removal service removes case listings from third-party legal sites and Google. Free, confidential review, firm quote before any work starts, and pay after removal available.
Step 2: Remove the case from legal-data websites
Sites that republish court filings are the main reason a case shows up when someone searches your name. Each has its own removal or privacy process, and most respond faster when the case is sealed, expunged, dismissed, or very old.
| Site | What it publishes | Help |
|---|---|---|
| Justia | Federal and state case dockets and opinions | Justia removal |
| Trellis | State trial court records | Trellis removal |
| UniCourt | State and federal case data | UniCourt removal |
| PacerMonitor | Federal court dockets | PacerMonitor removal |
| CourtListener | Federal and state opinions and dockets | CourtListener removal |
| Docket Alarm | Federal and state dockets | Docket Alarm removal |
| vLex | Case law and court documents | vLex removal |
If your case also led to a mugshot or a news story, those are separate removals: see mugshot removal and news article removal.
Step 3: Remove the case from Google search results
Google indexes pages that other websites publish. Once a site removes or hides your case, use Google’s Refresh Outdated Content tool so the old result and snippet disappear. If the page is still live but breaks Google’s policies, for example by exposing certain personal information, you can request removal directly.
For results that won’t come down, search result suppression pushes them off the first page.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming a sealed or expunged case disappears online on its own. It usually doesn’t.
- Removing the case from one site and ignoring the copies on others; Google just shows the next copy.
- Paying a site that charges to take down what it published.
- Sending angry or threatening emails to site owners instead of using their removal process.
- Ignoring background check and people-search sites that pull from court data.
How long each step takes
| Step | Typical timing |
|---|---|
| Expungement or sealing | Weeks to months, depending on the court |
| Legal-data site removal | Days to a few weeks per site |
| Google refresh after removal | Days to a few weeks |
Court case removal FAQs
Can a court case be removed from public record?
Sometimes. If your state allows it for your case, a court can expunge or seal the record. Eligibility depends on the state, the type of case, and the outcome.
Does sealing a case remove it from Google?
Not automatically. Websites that already published the case keep their copies until you ask them to remove it, and Google keeps showing those pages until they’re gone.
How do I get my case off Justia, Trellis, or UniCourt?
Each site has its own removal or privacy request process. Sealed, expunged, dismissed, and old cases are the easiest to remove.
Can a dismissed case be removed from the internet?
Often, yes. Many legal-data sites will remove or hide dismissed cases on request, and Google drops the pages once they’re gone.
Do I need a lawyer to expunge a record?
Not always. Many courts have self-help forms, but a local attorney can confirm eligibility and handle hearings.
How much does it cost to remove a court case online?
It depends on how many sites list the case. Defamation Defenders gives a free review and a firm per-link quote before any work starts.
Will the case come back after it’s removed?
It can be re-scraped. Defamation Defenders re-removes court records at no extra cost if they’re re-posted on the same site.
Send us the links where your case appears. We’ll tell you what can be removed, how long it takes, and what it costs. Free and confidential.
Get My Free ReviewCall 1-800-785-1749
Defamation Defenders is an online reputation management company, not a law firm. This article is general information, not legal advice.
