Divorce records are public in California, but far less of a high-asset divorce has to land in the public file than most people assume. Anyone can walk into the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown, the Santa Monica Courthouse, or the Van Nuys courthouse and view a family law file at a public terminal. What sits in that file depends on choices made in the first weeks of the case. Borna Houman Law represents executives, founders, entertainers, and physicians in Los Angeles County divorces from our Santa Monica office, and privacy is usually the first question they ask.
This guide explains what the public can see in a California divorce file, what the law keeps confidential, how to seal financial information under Family Code section 2024.6, and how to structure a case so your balance sheet never becomes a court record.
Key Takeaway: California divorce records are presumed open to the public, but they are not online. Family law files can be viewed only at the courthouse. Financial disclosures are served on the other spouse, not filed. On request, a court must seal a filed pleading that lists assets and liabilities and gives their location under Family Code section 2024.6.
Privacy is decided early. The first filings in a high-asset divorce set what the public can see for years. If you are preparing to file or have just been served, call (888) 42-BORNA for a confidential consultation.
Are divorce records public in California?
Yes, California divorce records are generally public court records. California Rules of Court, rule 2.550 starts from the principle that court records are presumed open, and a family law case is no exception.
That means the petition, the response, filed declarations, court orders, and the final judgment can be viewed by anyone who knows the case name or number. The parties’ names, the date of filing, and the fact of the divorce are not private.
Still, a large share of the most sensitive material in a high-asset case is either never filed, kept confidential by statute, or eligible for sealing.
Can people look up a California divorce online?
No, the public cannot read California family law case documents online. Rule 2.503(c) requires courts to provide electronic access to family law records only at the courthouse and bars public remote access to them.
In practice, a journalist, a business rival, or a curious neighbor has to go to the courthouse in person and use a public terminal. That is a real barrier, and it ends the moment someone makes the trip: anything in the file can then be read, copied, and reported.
For a public figure in Los Angeles, assume that anything filed will eventually be read. Plan the case so that the filed version contains only what the court needs.
What stays confidential in a California divorce?
Several categories of divorce material are confidential by statute, and some of the most detailed financial documents are never filed at all.
The preliminary declaration of disclosure, the sworn statement of every asset, debt, and income source each spouse must exchange, is served on the other party and not filed. Family Code section 2104(b) provides that the preliminary declaration shall not be filed with the court except on court order. Only a proof of service goes in the file.
Tax returns are protected too. Under Family Code section 3552, a tax return submitted in a support proceeding must be sealed and kept as a confidential record if the court finds it relevant, and returned to the party if it is not.
Child custody evaluations are confidential. Family Code section 3025.5 places custody evaluation reports and recommendations in the confidential part of the court file, available to the parties, their attorneys, and court staff, and to others only by court order for good cause. Our 730 evaluation guide covers how those reports are prepared.
| Record | Public? | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Petition, response, orders, final judgment | Yes, at the courthouse | CRC 2.550 |
| Online remote access to family law files | No | CRC 2.503(c) |
| Preliminary declaration of disclosure | Not filed; only proof of service | Fam. Code 2104(b) |
| Tax returns in a support proceeding | Sealed if relevant, returned if not | Fam. Code 3552 |
| Child custody evaluation reports | Confidential part of the file | Fam. Code 3025.5 |
| Pleading listing assets, liabilities, and their location | Sealed on a party’s request | Fam. Code 2024.6 |
| Mediation communications | Confidential and generally inadmissible | Evid. Code 1119 |
| Trial of a factual issue | May be closed by the court | Fam. Code 214 |
How do you seal financial information in a California divorce?
You ask for it. Under Family Code section 2024.6, the court must seal a pleading that lists the parties’ financial assets and liabilities and provides their location or identifying information, when a party requests it.
The request may be made ex parte, meaning without a full noticed hearing. The requesting party must serve a copy of the request on the other party and file proof of service with it. Once sealed, the pleading may be unsealed only on petition to the court and a showing of good cause.
The statute defines “pleading” broadly. It reaches documents declaring assets, liabilities, income, and expenses, and a marital settlement agreement that lists them, along with related filings.
Section 2024.6 has a history that shapes how it is used. In Burkle v. Burkle (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 1045, the Court of Appeal held the earlier version of the statute unconstitutional because it required sealing of entire pleadings without the narrow tailoring the First Amendment demands. The Legislature rewrote it in 2006. In our experience, a request aimed at the specific asset detail, not the whole case, is the version that holds.
Can you seal an entire divorce file in California?
Sealing an entire divorce file is rarely possible in California. Outside the specific statutes above, a court may seal a record only after making the findings required by rule 2.550(d).
Those findings are demanding. The court must find an overriding interest that overcomes the right of public access, a substantial probability that the interest will be prejudiced without sealing, that the sealing is narrowly tailored, and that no less restrictive means exist. Wanting to keep a messy divorce quiet does not meet that test.
What does work is targeted protection: sealing specific exhibits that contain trade secrets or account detail, redacting identifying numbers, and keeping confidential business records under a stipulated protective order instead of attaching them to a public declaration.
Does a private judge keep a divorce out of the public record?
A private judge keeps hearings out of a public courtroom, but it does not make the court file private. Orders and the judgment are still filed with the Superior Court, and they are still public unless sealed.
The advantage is control. Hearings happen in a private office on your schedule, and the record of what is said is far smaller than a contested trial at Stanley Mosk. Our guide to private judge divorce in California walks through how the process works and its limits.
Even in the public court, Family Code section 214 lets a judge close the trial of a factual issue to everyone but the parties, their witnesses, counsel, and court officers when the court finds it necessary in the interests of justice and the persons involved.
Is divorce mediation confidential in California?
Yes, what is said and written in divorce mediation is confidential under Evidence Code section 1119, and it generally cannot be used as evidence later.
The agreement that comes out of mediation is a different matter. A marital settlement agreement usually becomes part of the judgment, and the judgment is filed. If the agreement lists assets and where they are held, it falls within section 2024.6 and can be sealed on request. Our divorce mediation guide explains the confidentiality rules in more detail.
What counts as an overriding interest for sealing?
Courts recognize a narrow set of interests as strong enough to seal family law records: trade secrets, confidential business information belonging to third parties, the privacy of minor children, and information that would expose a party to identity theft or a safety risk.
The rule 2.550(d) findings come from NBC Subsidiary (KNBC-TV), Inc. v. Superior Court (1999) 20 Cal.4th 1178, where the California Supreme Court held that the public has a right of access to civil proceedings and records. Family courts apply the same framework. A party asking to seal a cap table, an operating agreement, or a client list has to explain the specific harm disclosure would cause, document by document.
Some protection requires no motion. Rule 1.201 requires parties to exclude or redact Social Security numbers and financial account numbers from filed documents, leaving at most the last four digits. That rule protects every litigant, but it hides account numbers, not balances, which is why section 2024.6 still matters in a high-asset case.
How can a high-net-worth spouse keep financial details out of the file?
Plan the filings from the first day of the case. Most privacy problems in a Los Angeles high-asset divorce come from a declaration that attached more than it needed to, not from a reporter.
- Exchange the full financial picture through served disclosures, which are not filed, instead of attaching statements to motions.
- Request section 2024.6 sealing for any pleading that lists assets, liabilities, and their location, including the income and expense declaration and the settlement agreement.
- Redact account numbers and Social Security numbers from anything filed, and summarize bank and brokerage records rather than attaching them.
- Use a stipulated protective order for business valuations, cap tables, and partnership records produced in discovery.
- Consider a private judge or mediation to keep contested testimony out of a public courtroom.
Consider a founder with a $40 million estate, most of it in private company stock. A support motion that attaches two years of brokerage statements puts every account and position in a file anyone can read at the courthouse. The same motion, supported by a sealed income and expense declaration and a forensic summary, gives the court what it needs and keeps the account detail out of the public file. Our high-net-worth divorce attorney practice builds that plan into every case from the start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can anyone see my divorce records in California?
Generally yes, at the courthouse. Anyone can view filed documents in a California divorce on a public terminal. Family law files are not available online to the public, and some documents are confidential or sealed.
Are divorce settlements public in California?
A settlement becomes public when it is filed as part of the judgment. If the marital settlement agreement lists assets and liabilities and gives their location, a party can ask the court to seal it under Family Code section 2024.6.
Is my financial disclosure filed with the court?
No. The preliminary declaration of disclosure is served on the other spouse and not filed, under Family Code section 2104(b). Only a proof of service is filed, unless the court orders otherwise.
Can a celebrity seal a divorce in California?
Fame alone does not justify sealing a whole file. A court may seal specific records only on the findings required by rule 2.550(d), and must seal pleadings that list assets and their location when a party asks under section 2024.6.
How do I get a copy of a California divorce record?
Request it from the clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the case was filed, or view it on a public terminal at the courthouse. The California courts’ divorce self-help center walks through the divorce process and court forms.
Are custody evaluation reports public?
No. Family Code section 3025.5 places child custody evaluation reports in the confidential portion of the court file. Only the parties, their attorneys, court personnel, and those the court authorizes for good cause may see them.
Can a divorce file be sealed after the case is over?
A party can ask the court to seal specific records after judgment, but the court must still make the rule 2.550(d) findings, and anything already viewed or copied cannot be recalled. Sealing works best when it is requested at the time the document is filed.
Plan your divorce around what the public can see. Borna Houman Law handles high-asset divorces in the Santa Monica, Stanley Mosk, and Van Nuys courthouses with privacy built into every filing. Call (888) 42-BORNA for a confidential consultation.
Written by Borna Houman, Esq., California State Bar No. 352339, Borna Houman Law, 2530 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA.
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Sealing and confidentiality rules depend on the facts and the court; consult an attorney about your specific situation.