Wyoming Court Case Lookup
A court case in Wyoming is a legal suit between two individuals or legal entities where a person or organization defaults to Wyoming law or harms another person. There are two types of court cases in Wyoming, the civil case and the criminal case. In a civil lawsuit, a plaintiff sues another entity or individual for recompense on damages. However, in a criminal case, the state or federal government prosecutes an individual or legal entity for allegedly committing a crime or breaking the law at either level.
Wyoming court cases are documented by the state judiciary for posterity and transparency and, pursuant to Wyoming public record law, may be made available to members of the public on request. However, the provisions for the disclosure of Wyoming court records generally vary with the type of record, and the case it concerns.
Court cases are heard in municipal Courts, Circuit Courts, and District Courts, with each having its unique focus. Municipal Courts in Wyoming are located in different municipals and handle some law violations, including those concerning juvenile defendants, though they are subject to District Courts. Circuit Courts have special duties in resolving criminal and civil cases. They have overall jurisdiction over misdemeanors, sharing these jurisdictions with District Courts. District Courts in Wyoming have general over every civil and criminal case within the city, but mainly handle cases that are outside the jurisdiction of the other courts.
Are Court Cases Public Record in Wyoming?
Yes, as stated in the Wyoming Public Records Act, the state acknowledges its constitutional right of access to public documents. Nevertheless, there are some guiding principles concerning public access to court records in Wyoming. These rules are compiled in the Wyoming Rules Governing Access to Court Records. These guidelines are established to encourage public access to court records, prevent access to confidential matters (based on public policy, law, or court order), and promote public interests and individual privacy.
How to Perform a Wyoming Court Case Lookup
Individuals from the public can search for Wyoming court cases online. However, it is noteworthy to state that only Appellate Court cases in Wyoming that are available online on the state-owned eFiling platform. To access any other type of court case in Wyoming, the requesters will need to visit the presiding court physically and use the computers in the courthouses to access their required information.
Can I Get Wyoming Court Case Documents Online?
Yes. Individuals can look up non-confidential Wyoming court cases stored in the state's Supreme Court via the unique Supreme Court Docket tool. Furthermore, information concerning court cases is available to public access via the public access terminal in Wyoming Courthouses.
Though various Wyoming court cases aren't available to the public, The records include those concerning attorney discipline, juvenile, Grand jury, and involuntary commitment, among others. The public can access physical records only during standard business hours from the authority responsible for holding the court records. All public record officials are expected to comply with stated rules, not providing more access than is needed or restricting access to individuals or legal entities.
On the other hand, Wyoming court electronic records are always accessible to the public, regardless of time and time, except in cases of unforeseen situations or system maintenance. A person can file a petition with the court to provide the user access to a record if it is inaccessible.
How to Conduct a Wyoming Court Search by Name
Individuals can conduct a Wyoming court search by name by first identifying the court where the suit was submitted. Then, one needs to request the custodian of the court records to access the desired record. It's worth noting that Wyoming courts allow members of the public to search non-confidential filings in cases stored in the Supreme Court via its Public Docket tool. On this tool, the requester will need to input the last name of a case party to get results. Using the filter options, the petitioner can provide either the party's partial name or full name to help get better search results.
A requester can obtain an original copy of a court record by visiting the Supreme Court's physical location. Also, the requester will need to pay a nominal fee to copy court records at the courthouses.
What is a Court Case Number?
A court case number is a distinct identification number attached to a filed case by the court clerk's authority. It is a unique number specific to every filed court case that can't be reassigned to another legal suit. Therefore, every court case has its unique identification numbers. A case number also makes it possible to track or distinguish the different cases from each other. It is also essential for locating various case-identifying details including the case type, year of filing, the judicial officer assigned to it, and other important information.
By providing the court case number, a record custodian will be able to easily track and obtain all details concerning a desired record for a requester. As earlier stated, many Wyoming courtrooms provide the service of assisting locate their court case number with a minimal fee. However, this only happens as long as every other essential related information (like case name, and case number) is also provided.
How to Conduct a Case Number Search in Wyoming
There are two ways to conduct a case number search in Wyoming, offline and online. Any requester choosing to use offline means will need to visit the courtroom to browse through the database of the computers stored there. Any member of the public can access this information without having to pay for it. However, the requester must have the correct name of a case party or the case number, as either of these is needed to retrieve every useful document from the computers.
The other means of conducting a case number search in Wyoming is to access the documents online from the official websites of the custodian of the given lawsuit. Also, by using the Wyoming court directory, you will be able to find the address of any courtroom near your location or identify the location of certain courthouses. Any requester looking for ways to conduct a case number search in Wyoming should adhere to the tips below:
- Determine if the case is a federal or state suit and if they are under Wyoming law or federal law.
- Determine the kind of Wyoming court that had jurisdiction over the suit.
- Determine the location of the case records.
Requesters can also use the Municipal Courts directory, Circuit courts directory, or the District Courts directory tools on the official site of the Wyoming Judiciary Branch.
How to Remove Court Cases From Public Record in Wyoming
According to the Wyoming Statutes § 7-13-1401, the Wyoming law permits the court or citizens to expunge (or seal) certain court cases from the public.
This is important as having a criminal record, which might have been a false accusation or anything that's no longer valid, can negatively affect an individual's future opportunities. It is essential to state that the expungement of records is not automatic, and a defendant will need to apply to the presiding court. However, certain criteria determine if a case can be expunged from records.
A court record can be expunged if:
- The defendant wasn't convicted of the crime;
- The conviction didn't include the attempted use or use of a firearm;
- It wasn't a conviction of a healthcare giver for sexual assault on a patient.
- Other types of situations valid for expungement are included in the Expungement Handout.
To expunge a record, the individual would need to visit the court which has, or was to have, jurisdiction over the case to file a petition. Every petition filed under the Wyoming Statutes § 7-13-1401 would have to be verified by a petitioner and reviewed by the litigating attorney. Also, the court will not issue any order granting expungement before twenty days after the petition was made.
Furthermore, if the prosecuting attorney files an objection within twenty days after the defendant's service, there will be a hearing. But if there's no objection, the case will be eligible for expungement, sealed, and accessible only to the court for investigation. The presiding court will then transfer an original copy of the order to the state's division of criminal investigation. A petitioner doesn't have to pay a filing fee under this section.
How to Check a Court Case Status in Wyoming
Individuals interested in checking their court case status in Wyoming can use the Wyoming Public Docket Tool to find out about appellate court cases online. However, if the person wants to search for other court cases, they will need to visit the courthouse or contact the clerk to check the court case status.
Since Wyoming Judiciary Branch does not provide an online court case-seeking tool, there are various other means to achieve that. One of the most effective means is by searching via the Teton Country Search tool. The online case-searching tool allows members of the general public to track and access any related case in Wyoming.
How to Find Supreme Court Decisions in Wyoming
Supreme Court dockets in Wyoming are available to the public at eFiling, under the public section. Members of the public can access the Supreme Court opinions (conclusions) in the opinions section of the State Court's official website. The database can be browsed using a case party's name, case number, case caption, attorney's name, or any other unique identifier.
What Percentage of Court Cases Go to Trial in Wyoming?
Recent research in 2019 by Pew Research revealed that only two percent of the 80,000 lawsuits filed proceeded to trials. The rest were settled in a pretrial agreement. Of that two percent who went to trial, 83% were convicted, while 17% were acquitted.
That is to say less than 1% (320 out of 79,704) proceeded to trial and won their cases. According to the US Courts Administrative Office, these figures include serious misdemeanors, felonies, and petty offenses. But they don't comprise defendants whose suits were handled by magistrate judges, the larger set of defendants in state courts, or defendants who plead "no contest".
Regardless of the type of charges faced, trials are minimal, though there are many variations in the figures. Less than 1% (89 of 25, 575) of federal court defendants face immigration offense trials in fiscal 2018. Also, less than 2% (499 of 21,771) faced drug violation trials, while below 4% (419 of 10,045) faced property offense charges. However, the figure was higher for defendants who face violent offense trials (7%, or 192 of 2,879).
How Long Does a Court Case Last in Wyoming?
The Wyoming Law doesn't impose any stipulated timeframe for felonies, misdemeanors, or any legal case. Every case brought to a Wyoming courthouse is unique and has its distinct timeframe. Small cases like landlord/tenant disputes or monetary disputes of less than $6,000 may take a few weeks at most. More complex cases can range for a few months or years while cases like a divorce can span from 80 days to two years
How to File a Case in Court in Wyoming
The process of filing a case in court in Wyoming implies the involvement of legal procedures and law enforcement to settle a dispute between two parties. The most popular reasons for legal actions taken against an individual or entity are because of civil or criminal violations.
The plaintiff (a person or individual) can file a civil case in Wyoming against another person or legal entity (defendant) via a civil complaint, together with other necessary evidence to the office of a presiding court's clerk. In addition, the plaintiff will provide useful personal information on the defendant, like name, address, and others, explaining the degree and detail of harm caused by the defendant to that party. The plaintiff will further officially invite the court to take over jurisdiction of the matter and state the type of compensation the party would require from the defendant.
Also, following the proper procedures, the plaintiff can file the suit without needing a lawyer, either physically in the courtroom, over the internet through the mail, or on the presiding court's official website.
When filing a criminal case, an individual (prosecutor) charges another individual or entity to court. Usually, criminal cases occur when a person defaults on government laws.
What Does It Mean if a Court Case Was Resolved Before the Trial Date?
When a court case is resolved before the trial date, this means that both case parties or the presiding court have called off the suit via other conflict resolution means than a jury or bench. The various means of conflict resolution without litigation include:
Mediation
An effective means of alternative conflict resolution involves the introduction of mediators who are experts in negotiations. The mediators invite both opponents to discuss terms of a favorable ground and seek a peaceful solution. Meditation is now one of the most regarded ADRs known.
Arbitration
Arbitration is another effectual ADR, but is more formal than mediation, and has many similarities to traditional court cases. It involves a very limited list of discovered and non-complicated rules of evidence.
Conciliation
This is an alternative dispute resolution means where an external party, or conciliator, intervenes in a dispute to identify the problem, create options, help the opposing parties consider the conflict resolution alternatives, and settle at an agreement. The conciliator is typically a neutral party in the ADR process.
Transaction
When a transaction ADR process takes place, both parties in the legal case are required to create and perform a contract or obligation. It is frequently used to refer to a written agreement between the opposing parties.
Negotiation
Negotiation is the most recognized form of dispute resolution. Usually, either the presiding court or one of the parties seeks this form of dispute resolution first. The perk of this informal ADR means is that it enables the parties to control the resolution proves and the solution.
If both parties resolve their disputes before the trial date, the hearing will not occur again and the court case will be resolved. But if they don't settle their differences, a court trial will occur.
