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What Is Casetext?

Casetext was founded in 2013 as an independent legal research platform designed to make case law more accessible to attorneys and law students. In July 2023, Thomson Reuters acquired Casetext for approximately $650 million, integrating the platform's AI-powered legal research capabilities - including its CoCounsel tool - into the broader Thomson Reuters legal ecosystem alongside Westlaw.

Unlike traditional pay-walled legal research services, Casetext made court opinions freely searchable for a period of time, which contributed to its wide indexing by search engines. Today, Casetext serves legal professionals with AI-assisted research, but the underlying database of court opinions remains accessible and indexed by Google. This means that anyone searching your name could encounter a case listing, docket entry, or full court opinion from Casetext appearing in the first few search results. Learn more about expungement vs. record sealing on our blog.

The platform hosts federal circuit and district court opinions sourced directly from PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records), as well as opinions from all 50 state appellate and supreme courts. Case documents include not just the court's written opinions but also party names, counsel information, and sometimes factual background that can be embarrassing or damaging to individuals named as parties. Learn more about court record removal on our blog.

Why This Matters for Reputation Casetext's integration with Thomson Reuters has increased its visibility and authority in Google's eyes. Pages on casetext.com tend to rank in the top 5 results for specific case names and party names. Even a minor civil matter - a debt collection lawsuit, a landlord-tenant dispute, or a dismissed criminal charge - can rank prominently in name searches.

Why Your Court Record Appears on Casetext

Court records appear on Casetext through several automatic data ingestion processes: For more information, visit the Casetext.

Your record is probably showing in more places than you realize - and each one can be addressed.
Most people who reach out to us had no idea how many places their record had spread. Justia, Google Scholar, UniCourt, background check sites - each one a new place where employers, landlords, or dates might find you. A free scan shows you exactly where you stand, so you can do something about it.
See Every Place Your Record Appears →

Importantly, Casetext does not automatically update its records when a case is sealed, expunged, or the court record is modified. The platform creates a snapshot of the public record at the time of indexing and does not maintain a live connection to court systems for most records. This means your expungement order or sealing order must be separately communicated to Casetext for any change to occur.

Important Distinction Not all court records are equal. Casetext primarily indexes published opinions - meaning cases where a judge wrote a formal decision. Many routine court matters (plea agreements, dismissed cases, minor civil suits) may appear as docket entries but not as full published opinions. This distinction affects your removal strategy.

Does Casetext / Thomson Reuters Offer a Removal Process?

Yes, but the process is more complex than smaller databases. Following the Thomson Reuters acquisition, all privacy and data requests related to Casetext go through Thomson Reuters' centralized privacy framework. Thomson Reuters is subject to multiple data privacy regulations including GDPR (for EU residents), CCPA (for California residents), and general U.S. privacy law principles. For more information, visit the US Courts.

Thomson Reuters maintains a Privacy Center at privacy.thomsonreuters.com where individuals can submit:

However, Thomson Reuters treats legal research databases differently from consumer data products. Court opinions are considered matters of public record and legal scholarship. The company's position is that removing published court opinions from a legal research database could interfere with the integrity of legal research and the public's right to access judicial decisions. As a result, deletion requests for court opinions are evaluated individually and often denied unless specific legal grounds exist. Learn more about background check reports on our blog.

When Thomson Reuters Is More Likely to Comply Removal requests are more successful when accompanied by: (1) a valid court order sealing or expunging the record, (2) documentation showing the record was incorrectly attributed to you, (3) evidence the record contains unlawfully included personal information (Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, minor's names), or (4) a finding that the record has been de-published or withdrawn by the issuing court.

Step-by-Step: Requesting Removal from Casetext / Thomson Reuters

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  1. Identify the exact URLs Search for your name on casetext.com and document every URL where your record appears. Also note whether it's appearing as a full opinion, a docket entry, or a case summary. Screenshot each page with the date visible.
  2. Gather your documentation Collect all relevant court orders - especially any expungement order, sealing order, order of dismissal, or certificate of actual innocence. If the record contains sensitive personal information that should have been redacted, document this specifically.
  3. Submit a request through the Thomson Reuters Privacy Center Visit privacy.thomsonreuters.com and select "Submit a Privacy Request." Choose "Deletion Request" or "Correction Request" as appropriate. In the request details, specify that the data appears on Casetext.com, provide the exact URL(s), and upload supporting documentation.
  4. Send a follow-up legal letter if necessary If your initial request is denied or ignored, consider sending a formal legal letter to Thomson Reuters' Legal Department at: Thomson Reuters, 610 Opperman Drive, Eagan, MN 55123. Reference the specific Casetext URLs, your legal basis for removal, and the documentation supporting your request. Certified mail with return receipt creates a paper trail.
  5. Request Google de-indexing simultaneously Do not wait for Thomson Reuters to respond before submitting a Google de-indexing request. Use Google's Personal Information Removal Tool to request that the Casetext URLs be de-indexed from Google Search. This step can be taken in parallel and is often faster than waiting for Thomson Reuters.
  6. Follow up at 30 and 60 days Thomson Reuters is required to acknowledge requests within 30 days under applicable privacy laws. If you don't receive a response, follow up through the Privacy Center portal or via email to their privacy team. Keep detailed records of all communications.

What to Do If Thomson Reuters Refuses

Refusal is common, particularly for published federal court opinions. Thomson Reuters takes a firm position that legal research databases serve a legitimate public interest and that removing court opinions undermines the reliability of legal research. If your request is denied, you have several options:

Escalate with Legal Assistance

An attorney can send a formal demand letter citing specific legal grounds - for example, a valid expungement order under state law, a court order sealing the record, or violations of court-mandated privacy rules (such as Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2, which requires parties to redact certain personal identifiers). Legal letters from attorneys tend to receive more attention than individual requests.

Pursue Google De-Indexing as Primary Path

Even if the record stays on Casetext, removing it from Google's index means most people will never find it. The majority of reputation harm from Casetext records comes from Google surfacing these pages in name searches - not from people proactively visiting Casetext to research someone. Google de-indexing is therefore highly practical and should be pursued regardless of whether Thomson Reuters agrees to remove the underlying record.

Content Suppression Strategy

If removal is impossible, suppression involves building positive online content - professional profiles, news coverage, web properties - that displaces the Casetext result from the first page of Google results. A well-executed suppression campaign can push damaging results to page 2 or beyond, where 95% of searchers never look.

De-Indexing Casetext from Google Search

Google's Personal Information Removal Tool (support.google.com/websearch/troubleshooter/9685456) allows individuals to request that Google remove certain types of personal information from search results. For court records, the most applicable category is "Information about an individual that creates significant risks of identity theft, financial fraud, or other specific harms."

In 2024, Google expanded its removal policy to include "arrest, conviction, or sentence for a crime" when the information includes personal details that could enable harm. Here is how to use the tool effectively for Casetext:

  1. Go to Google's removal request page Navigate to support.google.com/websearch/troubleshooter/9685456. Select "Remove information you see in Google Search," then "In Google's search results and on a website."
  2. Select the most applicable category For court records, select "Personal information, like a government ID number or bank account number" if the record contains sensitive identifiers, or "Other legal matter" for general court record removal requests.
  3. Provide the exact Casetext URLs List each Casetext URL where your record appears. Google processes each URL individually. Be precise - a URL with a slightly different slug will need a separate request.
  4. Explain your basis for removal In the description field, explain why the information should be removed. Reference any sealing or expungement order if you have one. If the information is outdated or the case was dismissed, explain this clearly.
  5. Monitor and follow up Google typically reviews removal requests within 1–2 weeks. You'll receive an email notification of their decision. If approved, the URL is removed from Google's index within a few days. If denied, you can provide additional context and resubmit.
Timeline Expectation Google's review process takes 1–2 weeks, but even after approval, the URL may continue to appear in search results for 2–4 weeks while Google's crawlers process the de-indexing. Total timeline from submission to disappearance: 3–6 weeks on average.

After Expungement or Sealing: Does Casetext Update?

No - Casetext does not proactively monitor court records for expungements, sealings, or case modifications. When a court seals or expunges a record, that order applies to the court's own records system and does not automatically trigger any updates at Casetext, PACER, or any other third-party legal database.

This is one of the most frustrating realities for people who have successfully navigated the legal system. An expungement order tells the court to seal its records - it doesn't tell Casetext, Westlaw, Google, or anyone else to do the same. You must actively notify each platform of the expungement order and request that they update or remove their records accordingly.

When contacting Casetext / Thomson Reuters with an expungement order, be specific:

Westlaw Requires a Separate Request Even if Thomson Reuters removes your record from Casetext, it will almost certainly still appear on Westlaw - Thomson Reuters' premium legal research platform. Westlaw maintains a separate database and separate editorial processes. You must submit a separate removal request specifically for Westlaw.com pages. If Google is surfacing Westlaw results as well as Casetext results, you'll need to address both.

Working with Professionals

For most individuals, the DIY approach to Casetext record removal involves a significant investment of time, detailed knowledge of privacy law frameworks, and the ability to communicate effectively with a large corporate legal department. When your livelihood, professional reputation, or personal relationships are at stake, the outcome matters too much to leave to chance.

Professional reputation management services that specialize in court record removal bring several advantages:

We help identify whether removal may be possible for your specific Casetext record. Our team has worked with individuals across the country to address legal database records - from federal criminal cases to civil litigation to dismissed charges. Every situation is different, which is why we start with a free review to assess your options before recommending any course of action.