Nevada court records, including divorce filings, are generally public records accessible to anyone under Nevada’s open records law. This means that a divorce petition, the financial disclosures both spouses file, declarations about custody and domestic issues, and even the final decree are theoretically accessible to the public through the Clark County court system. For most couples, this public record status is not a practical concern — divorce filings in Clark County number in the thousands annually, and no one is searching the records for ordinary divorces. But for Nevada clients who are public figures, business owners with sensitive financial information, or parties whose divorce filings contain sensitive personal information about children, domestic violence, or mental health, the public record status of divorce proceedings is a serious concern that warrants proactive legal action to protect privacy. Hauser Family Law advises Las Vegas clients on the available mechanisms for protecting privacy in Nevada divorce proceedings.
Nevada Motions to Seal, Protective Orders, and Redaction in Divorce Proceedings
Nevada district courts have authority under NRCP 26(c) and the court’s inherent authority to issue protective orders limiting disclosure of sensitive information produced in divorce litigation, and under Nevada Supreme Court Rule 3 and NRCP 5.2 to order that certain records be filed under seal or with redaction. However, Nevada courts apply a strong presumption in favor of public access to court records under Nevada’s open records statute (NRS Chapter 239) and the First Amendment, and a motion to seal must demonstrate a compelling interest that outweighs the public’s right of access. Compelling interests that Nevada courts have recognized include: protection of minor children’s identities and sensitive personal information; prevention of disclosure of information that would facilitate identity theft or financial fraud; protection of proprietary business information that would cause competitive harm if publicly disclosed; and protection of domestic violence victims’ information that could facilitate harm by the perpetrator. The practical tools available include: motions to seal specific exhibits (financial account statements, tax returns, medical records) while keeping the overall divorce file public; redaction of minors’ identifying information and Social Security numbers under NRCP 5.2; stipulated protective orders that restrict how sensitive discovery materials may be used and shared; and, in rare cases with compelling justification, sealing the entire divorce file. Settlement agreements and divorce decrees can also be structured to exclude sensitive financial terms by referencing a separately filed and sealed exhibit rather than including the terms in the public decree. Hauser Family Law proactively addresses Nevada divorce privacy concerns for Las Vegas clients who require confidentiality in their family court proceedings.