Civil case files will become easier to view

Article published March 28, 2006
The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, LA)
Kayla Gagnet
kgagnet@theadvertiser.com

Save your pocket change for something other than the downtown parking meters - checking on the status of your divorce or looking up your neighbor's mortgage soon can be done from the comfort of your home.

The Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court is getting a new computer case management system that eventually will put civil court records on the Internet, downloadable for a fee.

Clerk of Court Louis Perret said the new system still is months away from launch, but a $237,000 contract to develop the software has been awarded to Shreveport-based Software and Services Inc.

"This is the first step of something I've been dreaming about since I got elected," Perret said, "and that is that we need to put the records out for people to access them, so they don't have to drive downtown."

Currently, the only way to access Lafayette Parish civil court records is by going to the courthouse on Buchanan Street. Paying subscribers can search indexes of filings online but can't retrieve any of the actual court documents.

The new Internet-based system will allow people to search by a party's name, filing date or specific suit type, said Gary Hebert, senior client support analyst for Software and Services.

"Even if you just know that a certain attorney filed a case on behalf on somebody, you can search by attorney," Hebert said.

After locating the correct file online, a person can access all documents coming in or being generated by the system that are considered public record, Hebert said, including things like subpoenas and court minutes.

Perret said he is taking special care, however, to make sure personal identifying information is not published. Documents that contain sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, will be electronically redacted, or blacked out, Perret said.

This allows the public to view the documents without putting people at risk for identify theft, Perret said. Hebert said the software "burns out" sensitive information, making it impossible for computer hackers to retrieve it.

Perret said the next step is developing a similar system for criminal court records.

"This is where the advances in technology are going to make people's lives easier, and government will be more open and receptive, like the business world," Perret said.