I'll be revisiting my hometown in October and would like to see if I can obtain access to court records from my parent's case refusing blood for my then-5-year-old sister. Does anyone know what type of court this would be in: District, Circuit, etc.? Also, with her age being 5, will that pose a problem in getting access to the files? Thanks
Blood cases heard in what type of court?
by writerpen 1 Replies latest jw friends
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AGuest
May you have peace!
It depends. The most likely place is Juvenile Court, as someone was trying to involve the court in the status and perhaps even custody of a minor, your sister. And if this was the case, you would most probably have problems getting it as (1) juvenile court records are usually "sealed" and (2) the names aren't always included in order to protect the minor child (i.e., "In Re Jane Doe"). But I would start there.
If, say, the case was brought by the local DA, then it could be in Criminal court. Or, if it was brought by, say, a family member or the doctor/hospital/insurance company, could be in Civil court, at the Superior Court level (vs. Municipal court). If it involved residents in differing states, it could be federal (i.e., District) court. Any court clerk should be able to help you with this. Also, if you know the parties (you only need to know one, in most instances), you should be able to look it up at the Court Records room and it will tell you which court. The case will most probably show your parents as "Defendants" (unless they brought the case and did so on behalf of your sister, in which cas they or she would be "Plaintiffs"). Finally, if someone appealed, it could then be at the Appeals or Circuit court and so you should not fail to look there, if necessary, as this could be the place for the final outcome of the case (assuming it didn't go to the state Supreme Court).
I bid you peace.
A slave of Christ,
SA