Removing the link between personal identifying information and dismissed criminal cases (“Delinking”)

Criminal cases are public records, even when the case has been dismissed. That means anyone could find your dismissed cases under your name or date of birth.

You can ask to remove the link by filing a Motion to Remove Link Between Personal Identifying Information and Dismissed Criminal Court Case. If the motion is granted, anyone who searches the courts’ records by your name or date of birth will not find the record for the de-linked case.

The court can grant the request if three requirements are met:

• 30 days have passed from the day on which every charge in the case has been dismissed
• An appeal has not been filed
• The case did not include any domestic violence charges

Note: The case record still exists and can still be found unless it is expunged. It remains public and accessible through a search by case number. This only removes the case from being searchable by your current name, former name, nickname, or alias, and your date of birth. You can still seek expungement for a case that has been delinked if you are otherwise eligible.