Monday May 8, 2006
New Feature Controls Disclosure of Sensitive Information in Litigation Documents
DAYTON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2006--There is a growing concern by governments, the judicial community and the general public about the exposure of sensitive information in documents associated with litigation. The LexisNexis® File & Serve electronic filing and service system has addressed this concern with the introduction of integrated redaction capabilities. LexisNexis U.S. is a leading provider of information and services solutions.
The File & Serve system has always allowed redacted documents to be up-loaded, with the sensitive information "blacked out." With the new integrated capabilities, File & Serve now gives courts the ability to redact information in documents that have been filed electronically, including scanned documents. The original un-redacted version remains available only to case participants and the court, and the redacted version is available to the general public. By giving the courts the ability to redact information, a final layer of protection is provided to prevent the disclosure of sensitive information.
"Adding integrated redaction allows File & Serve to respond to a growing court need that was not being met," said Michele Vivona, vice president and general manager, LexisNexis Litigation Services. "Courts are inundated with requests for access to public records, but a lot of those records still contain sensitive information. The only way for the court to comply is to manually redact those documents.
"File & Serve now offers a more efficient way to manage that information and preserve the integrity of the original document," she added.
This integrated redaction capability for the courts further limits the opportunities for the inadvertent or intentional exposure of sensitive information, such as social security numbers, the names of minors and victims, and confidential propriety information. It will provide the general public with a greater sense of security as well, reducing the chances for violation of privacy and the incidence of identity theft.
"What makes the addition of this feature unique is the way it is integrated with the e-filing application," said Robin Castro, vice president, LexisNexis File & Serve. "Court clerks can add redaction to a document during the intake process as well as redact content from documents that have already been filed and stored in the system. And both the redacted and un-redacted versions are retained as part of the online case file."
LexisNexis File & Serve gives courts and law firms better access to information and more control over case file management. The File & Serve service provides automated docketing and real-time online access to filed documents and the online case file. The service also provides links to legal citations through the Lexis® service from directly within the application, giving judges and attorneys a convenient approach to researching their cases. Attorneys further benefit by eliminating the physical delivery of documents to the court and opposing counsel.
File & Serve has electronic filing and/or service projects in jurisdictions in 26 states and has well over one million cases online. Today, there are nearly 70,000 judges, clerks, attorneys and other legal professionals nationwide who have been registered to use the service. File & Serve is offered to law firms through LexisNexis® Litigation Services, which provides strategic insight and greater control throughout the litigation process.
