How to Find Someone Using Court Records — Leveraging Legal Filings as a Location Tool

🏛️ 1. Why Court Records Are a Powerful — and Overlooked — Location Tool

Court records are one of the most valuable and most underutilized data sources in skip tracing and investigation. Every time someone files a lawsuit, gets sued, files for bankruptcy, gets divorced, has a criminal case, gets evicted, or has a judgment entered against them — they generate a court record that contains their name, address, and often extensive additional information including employer, assets, financial details, attorney representation, and associate connections. Unlike most other data sources, the address information in court records is provided under penalty of perjury — meaning the subject had a legal obligation to provide their correct address when filing or responding to the case. This makes court record addresses among the most reliable address data available for data triangulation. 🏛️

Court records are publicly available in most jurisdictions — anyone can search them, access them, and use the information they contain for legitimate investigative purposes. Yet many investigators and creditors overlook court records as a location tool, focusing exclusively on database searches and consumer people-search sites. Professional investigators include court record searches as a standard component of every investigation because court records provide data that no commercial database captures — the specific details of legal filings, the addresses provided to courts, the assets disclosed in financial declarations, and the relationships revealed through case connections. This guide explains how to leverage every type of court record as an investigative tool for locating people and discovering assets. 📋

📊 2. Types of Court Records and What They Reveal

📋 3. Civil Lawsuit Filings — Address, Attorney, and Associate Data

Civil lawsuits are filed in enormous volume across the United States — tens of millions annually in state and federal courts. Every civil case file contains the addresses of all parties as provided to the court. For an investigator trying to locate someone, discovering that the subject was involved in a civil lawsuit — either as plaintiff or defendant — within the last few years provides a verified address from that filing. But civil lawsuits reveal much more than just addresses: 📋

Complaint and Answer Addresses: The complaint (filed by the plaintiff) lists the plaintiff’s address and the defendant’s address where service was attempted. The defendant’s answer (if they responded) contains the address the defendant provided to the court — under penalty of perjury. These addresses are often more current than what appears in commercial databases because they were provided specifically for the case at a specific point in time. Attorney of Record: If the subject is represented by an attorney, the attorney’s contact information is in the case file. While attorneys generally won’t reveal their client’s address to a third party, knowing that the subject has legal representation — and who that attorney is — provides investigative value. The attorney’s office location may indicate the subject’s geographic area (people typically hire attorneys near where they live). Service of Process Records: The case file typically includes the proof of service — documenting where and how the subject was served with the lawsuit. This is a confirmed physical location where the subject was found, with the date of service providing timing context. For recently filed cases, the service address is often the subject’s current residence. 📍

Cross-Party Intelligence: Civil lawsuits involving the subject often name other parties — co-defendants, co-plaintiffs, third-party defendants, witnesses, and experts. These associated individuals become potential leads for associate-based investigation. If you can’t find the subject directly but can identify their co-defendant in a recent lawsuit, the co-defendant may lead to the subject through shared connections, business relationships, or geographic proximity. Associate analysis leverages these court-revealed connections to find subjects who have minimized their own direct data trail. 👥

💰 4. Bankruptcy Filings — The Ultimate Asset and Address Disclosure

Bankruptcy filings are the single most information-rich court records in existence for investigation purposes. When someone files for bankruptcy, they are required to make a complete, sworn disclosure of their entire financial life — every asset they own, every debt they owe, every source of income, their employment history, their complete address history, their bank accounts, their vehicles, their real property, and their financial transactions for the years preceding the filing. All of this information is filed with the bankruptcy court and becomes a publicly accessible record. 💰

Schedule A/B (Assets): Lists every asset the debtor owns — real property, vehicles, bank accounts, investment accounts, personal property, household goods, and business interests. For a judgment creditor, discovering that their debtor filed for bankruptcy and listed assets in the schedules provides a complete asset inventory — potentially revealing assets the debtor denied owning when questioned. Schedule D (Secured Creditors): Lists every creditor with a security interest in the debtor’s property — mortgage companies, vehicle lienholders, equipment financers. This reveals property the debtor owns and the encumbrances against it. Schedule E/F (Unsecured Creditors): Lists every unsecured creditor with their claim amount — credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, trade creditors. This reveals the debtor’s financial relationships and overall debt picture. Schedule I (Income): Discloses current employment, employer name and address, income amount, and other income sources. Statement of Financial Affairs: Discloses recent property transfers, gifts, payments to creditors, businesses owned, and lawsuits — revealing the financial activity leading up to bankruptcy. For investigators, a debtor’s bankruptcy filing is essentially a court-ordered debtor examination in document form. 📊

🔒 5. Criminal Records — Booking, Sentencing & Probation Data

Criminal records provide location data at multiple points in time — the address at arrest (booking record), the address provided to the court during proceedings, and the address registered with probation or parole supervision. For subjects with criminal history, these records can bridge data gaps that commercial databases miss: 🔒

Booking Records: When someone is arrested, the booking record captures their stated address, date of birth, physical description, and identifying information. Jail and prison records are searchable through state department of corrections databases, county sheriff websites, and professional aggregation databases. Court Proceedings Address: Criminal defendants provide their address to the court for pretrial release conditions, bail requirements, and sentencing documentation. This address is often different from the booking address if the arrest occurred away from home. Probation/Parole Registration: Subjects on probation or parole must register their current address with the supervising agency and report address changes. This creates an ongoing, monitored address record that may be more current than any commercial database. Some state probation records are publicly searchable, and sex offender registries (maintained under Megan’s Law requirements) are universally public and provide current addresses for registered individuals. 📋

Criminal records also reveal associate connections — co-defendants in criminal cases are often ongoing associates of the subject. Victims and witnesses named in criminal proceedings may have current knowledge of the subject’s whereabouts. For judgment enforcement, a debtor’s criminal history may reveal unreported income sources (criminal enterprise), unreported assets (forfeiture proceedings), or geographic areas where the subject has connections that commercial databases don’t reflect. 🔍

Traffic and Municipal Court Records: Traffic violations, parking citations, and municipal code violations are often overlooked in investigation but provide hyperlocal activity data. A parking ticket issued at a specific address and time confirms the subject (or their vehicle) was present at that location. Accumulated traffic violations in a specific city suggest the subject drives regularly in that area — likely living or working nearby. DUI/DWI records are particularly informative because they include detailed location data (where the stop occurred), vehicle information, and the address provided during booking. Municipal court records for code violations on property may also identify the property owner or responsible party. While these records individually carry less investigative weight than major civil or criminal filings, they contribute to the mosaic of data points that professional triangulation synthesizes into confirmed location intelligence. 📊

💍 6. Divorce & Family Court Records — Life Event Location Triggers

Divorce and family court records are particularly valuable for locating people who have recently undergone major life changes — because divorce is one of the most common triggers for relocation, and the court records capture both the before and after picture. When someone files for divorce, both parties must provide their current addresses to the court. Financial declarations filed in divorce proceedings disclose income, assets, debts, and employment — information that feeds directly into location and asset investigation: 💍

Petition/Response Addresses: The divorce petition lists the filing party’s address and the responding party’s address. If the couple was living together, the petition may list the marital residence. The response — filed by the other spouse — lists their separate address if they’ve already moved out. This data captures the subject’s address at the time of filing, which may be more recent than commercial database records. Financial Declarations: Both parties in a divorce are required to file detailed financial declarations disclosing all income, assets, and debts. These declarations — filed under penalty of perjury — reveal bank accounts, real property, vehicles, retirement accounts, business interests, and income sources. For a judgment creditor searching for a debtor’s assets, discovering the debtor’s divorce financial declaration can provide a complete asset inventory. Property Settlement Orders: The final divorce decree often includes property division provisions that specify which party received which assets — revealing who owns which properties, vehicles, and accounts after the divorce. 📊

Child Custody Orders: Custody orders contain both parents’ addresses (for determining school districts and visitation logistics) and may restrict relocation without court approval. If the subject has minor children and is under a custody order, the court has an ongoing interest in knowing the subject’s address — and address changes must be reported to the court. This creates a legally enforced address update mechanism that no commercial database can match. For subjects with custody orders, the family court file may contain the most current address available anywhere. 📍

⚖️ 7. Judgment & Lien Records — Financial Trail Mapping

Judgment and lien records map the subject’s financial trail — revealing who they owe money to, how much, and where they were located when the debt was incurred or the judgment was entered. For investigators, these records serve dual purposes: they provide address data and they reveal the subject’s financial relationships: ⚖️

Civil Judgment Records: Every judgment entered in a civil case includes the judgment debtor’s address. Searching judgment records in jurisdictions where the subject has lived reveals the addresses they provided to courts over time — creating an address timeline that supports location triangulation. Tax Liens: Federal and state tax liens filed against the subject are recorded in county records and reveal the subject’s address at the time of filing. IRS tax liens are particularly informative because they indicate the subject had income (triggering the tax liability) and provide the address the IRS used for correspondence. Mechanic’s Liens: Filed by contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers who performed work on a property and weren’t paid. Mechanic’s liens identify the property address and the property owner — useful for confirming the subject owns or controls a specific property. UCC Filings: Uniform Commercial Code filings record secured interests in personal property — equipment, inventory, accounts receivable. UCC searches reveal business assets the subject has used as collateral, the lenders involved, and the filing addresses. For a comprehensive collection strategy, lien records provide both location intelligence and asset leads. 📋

Abstract of Judgment Records: When a judgment creditor records an abstract of judgment in a county recorder’s office, it creates a lien against all real property the debtor owns in that county. Searching abstract of judgment recordings across counties where the debtor has lived or has connections reveals where other creditors have already identified and liened the debtor’s property — providing a roadmap of known assets. These recordings also provide the debtor’s address as listed on the original judgment, the amount owed, and the creditor’s attorney information. For new judgment creditors, discovering existing recorded abstracts tells you what property has already been identified, what other creditors are pursuing enforcement, and whether the debtor’s assets are already heavily encumbered. This intelligence directly shapes your collection strategy — heavily encumbered assets may not justify the enforcement cost, while unencumbered assets identified through additional investigation represent better recovery opportunities. 💰

📝 8. Small Claims & Eviction Records — Local Activity Indicators

Small claims courts and eviction proceedings provide hyperlocal investigative data. While these cases involve smaller dollar amounts than major civil litigation, they reveal something equally valuable: the subject’s presence in a specific geographic area at a specific time. 📝

Small Claims Cases: People file small claims cases over landlord-tenant disputes, unpaid invoices, property damage, contract disagreements, and consumer complaints. Both parties provide their addresses when filing or responding, and these addresses reflect where the parties lived at the time — often more recent than what appears in commercial databases. A subject who filed a small claims case against their former landlord six months ago provided their current address to the court. Eviction Records: Eviction filings (unlawful detainer actions) are filed by landlords against tenants — providing the rental address and the tenant’s name. While the eviction address itself may no longer be current (the tenant was being removed from the property), eviction records reveal the subject’s recent geographic area and, in some jurisdictions, include forwarding addresses or new addresses provided during the case. Finding that the subject was evicted from an apartment six months ago narrows the search area and provides timing context for the investigation. Previous address identification through eviction records feeds the historical pattern analysis that professional skip tracing relies on. 📍

🏛️ 9. Federal Court Records — PACER & the Federal System

Federal court records — including bankruptcy cases, federal civil suits, and federal criminal cases — are searchable through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) at pacer.uscourts.gov. PACER provides online access to case documents from every federal district court, bankruptcy court, and appellate court in the United States. For investigators, PACER’s primary advantage is nationwide searchability — a single platform searches across all 94 federal judicial districts: 🏛️

PACER Party Search: The party name search function lets investigators search for the subject across all federal courts nationwide. This reveals every federal case where the subject appeared as a party — civil, criminal, or bankruptcy — regardless of which district the case was filed in. A subject who filed bankruptcy in Arizona, was sued in federal court in New York, and had a federal criminal case in Florida — all three appear in a single PACER party search. Bankruptcy Records: As discussed in Section 4, bankruptcy filings contain the most comprehensive financial and address information of any court record type. Searching PACER for the subject’s bankruptcy history should be a standard step in every professional investigation. Federal Criminal Cases: Federal criminal records — including drug cases, white-collar crime, fraud prosecutions, and immigration cases — provide booking addresses, employment information, and co-defendant connections not available through state databases alone. Cost: PACER charges $0.10 per page accessed, with a $3.00 maximum per document. The cost is minimal relative to the investigative value — a complete party search typically costs less than $1.00, and reviewing relevant case documents rarely exceeds $10-20 per case. 📊

🏛️ 10. State Court Records — How to Search Every State

State court records — where the vast majority of civil, criminal, family, and eviction cases are filed — are accessible through varying systems depending on the jurisdiction. Unlike the unified federal PACER system, state court access is fragmented: 🏛️

The practical challenge of state court record searching is knowing where to search. If the subject has lived in three states, the investigator needs to search courts in all three states — including multiple counties within each state where the subject may have had legal activity. Professional databases that aggregate court records across jurisdictions simplify this process by enabling name-based searches across multiple states simultaneously. For investigators without access to professional aggregation platforms, a systematic approach starts with federal PACER (nationwide), then state statewide portals (where available), then county courts in jurisdictions where the subject has known address history. 📋

State-by-State Access Variability: Court record access varies dramatically by state. States like Florida, Texas, and New York have relatively robust online court record systems that provide statewide searching capabilities. Other states offer limited online access, requiring county-by-county searches. A few states restrict online access to certain record types — for example, some states limit online access to criminal records while providing full civil record access, and others restrict access to family law cases. Professional investigators maintain current knowledge of access capabilities in all 50 states and territories, knowing which jurisdictions offer online searches, which require in-person retrieval, and which commercial aggregators have the most complete coverage for each state. This jurisdictional expertise is one of the practical advantages of hiring a professional investigative firm rather than attempting multi-state court record searches independently — the investigator knows where to search and how to access records efficiently in every jurisdiction. ⚖️

Tribal Court Records: Cases involving tribal members or activity on tribal lands may be filed in tribal courts rather than state or federal courts. Tribal court records are maintained by individual tribal nations and are generally not included in commercial aggregation databases. Accessing tribal court records typically requires direct contact with the specific tribal court — and some tribal courts restrict access to non-tribal members. For subjects with tribal affiliations or activity near tribal lands, tribal court records represent an additional data source that standard court record searches miss entirely. 📋

📋 11. What Court Records Actually Contain — The Investigative Gold

Beyond the basic case information (party names, case type, filing date, status), court records contain detailed filings that professional investigators mine for investigative intelligence. The actual documents filed in a case reveal far more than the docket summary: 📋

🔍 12. Beyond Address — Using Court Records to Build Complete Profiles

Court records don’t just reveal where someone is — they reveal who they are, what they own, who they associate with, how they manage money, and what kind of legal risk they present. Professional investigators use court record data to build complete subject profiles that inform strategy: 🔍

Litigation History as Character Intelligence: A subject who has been sued repeatedly for breach of contract, fraud, or non-payment reveals a pattern that informs how a creditor should approach enforcement. A debtor with a history of asset transfers documented in previous lawsuits is likely to attempt the same tactics — forewarned is forearmed. Financial Pattern Mapping: Bankruptcy filings from 5 years ago combined with recent civil judgments reveal the subject’s financial trajectory — did they recover from bankruptcy and rebuild assets (making current enforcement more promising), or did they continue accumulating debt (suggesting limited recovery potential)? Associate Network Mapping: Compiling the names of every individual and entity appearing in the subject’s court records creates a comprehensive associate network map. Business partners from corporate litigation, co-defendants from criminal cases, ex-spouses from divorce records, and creditors from bankruptcy filings — all connected to the subject through documented legal relationships. This network map feeds social media investigation and associate-based location techniques when direct data trails go cold. 📊

Pre-Litigation Intelligence: Before filing a lawsuit, attorneys use court record investigation to evaluate the defendant. Have they been sued before? Did they pay or default? Do they have prior judgments outstanding? Have they filed bankruptcy? Do they have assets visible in divorce proceedings or other cases? This intelligence informs whether to pursue litigation at all, how aggressively to seek early settlement, and which enforcement strategies to prepare. Investigating before suing prevents the expensive discovery that the defendant is judgment-proof after you’ve already invested in litigation. 📋

⚠️ 13. Limitations — What Court Records Won’t Tell You

Currency: Court records reflect the subject’s address at the time of filing — which may be months or years old by the time you search them. A bankruptcy filed 3 years ago provides the address from 3 years ago, not today’s address. Court records are best used as historical data points that feed into broader investigation rather than as standalone current location sources. Sealed and Expunged Records: Some court records are sealed by court order (juvenile cases, certain family law matters, national security cases) or expunged (criminal records eligible for removal). Sealed and expunged records are not accessible through public searches. Geographic Coverage Gaps: Not all courts have online record access. Some jurisdictions — particularly smaller municipal courts, justice courts, and tribal courts — maintain records only in paper format at the courthouse. Comprehensive court record searches may require physical courthouse visits or local retrieval services in jurisdictions without online access. Name Matching Complexity: Court records are searched by party name, and common names produce numerous matches requiring identity verification. Without additional identifying information (date of birth, SSN), distinguishing the correct individual from same-name matches requires analytical skill — comparing addresses, case details, and associate connections to confirm identity. ⚠️

No Financial Account Details: While bankruptcy records disclose asset categories and approximate values, they generally don’t include specific account numbers. Divorce financial declarations may reference “savings account at Bank X” without the account number. Court records identify where the subject banks and approximately what they have — but not the specific account information needed for levy execution. That information comes from debtor examination or third-party subpoenas after locating the subject and their financial institutions through court record intelligence. 📋

❓ 14. Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 Are court records really public?

Yes — the vast majority of court records are public records accessible by anyone. Federal court records are available through PACER. State court records are available through statewide portals, county clerk websites, or in-person at courthouses. Exceptions include sealed records (by court order), juvenile records (protected by statute in most states), and certain family law records (restricted access in some jurisdictions). The First Amendment and common law right of access to judicial proceedings ensures broad public access to court records. 🏛️

🤔 How much does it cost to search court records?

PACER (federal courts) charges $0.10 per page with a $3.00 per-document cap. Many state court online portals are free to search. Some counties charge nominal fees ($1-$5) for online access. Professional aggregation databases that compile court records from multiple jurisdictions charge subscription fees but enable efficient multi-state searches. For most investigations, court record searching costs less than $20 in access fees — a trivial investment relative to the investigative value. 💰

🤔 How current are court record addresses?

Court record addresses are current as of the filing date — which could be days, months, or years ago depending on when the case was filed. For recently filed cases (within the last 6 months), the address is likely still current. For older cases, the address serves as a historical data point that feeds into address history analysis and triangulation rather than standing alone as a current location confirmation. ⏰

🤔 Can I use court records to find someone’s assets?

Absolutely. Bankruptcy filings disclose complete asset inventories. Divorce financial declarations reveal assets divided between spouses. Property records linked through court cases identify real estate. Judgment and lien records reveal financial obligations and secured assets. Court records are one of the most powerful asset discovery tools available — and they’re publicly accessible. 💰

🤔 How do professional investigators search court records?

Professional investigators use commercial aggregation platforms (LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters CLEAR, and specialized court record databases) that compile records from federal, state, and local courts into a single searchable system. This enables nationwide name-based searches across all jurisdictions simultaneously — far more efficient than searching individual court systems one by one. The professional platforms also provide alert services that notify investigators when new filings appear for monitored subjects. 🔍

🚀 15. Professional Court Record Investigation

At PeopleLocatorSkipTracing.com, court record investigation is integrated into every comprehensive search. We search federal PACER, state court systems, county records, and professional aggregation databases to extract location data, asset information, employment intelligence, and associate connections from every type of court record. Whether you need to find someone who owes you money, investigate a business before suing, or locate a witness for court, our court record analysis uncovers intelligence that standard database searches miss entirely. Serving attorneys, creditors, and investigators since 2004. Results in 24 hours or less. ⚡