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Redaction of Information

In compliance with the policy of the Judicial Conference of the United States, and the EGovernment Act of 2002, and in order to promote electronic access to case files while also protecting personal privacy and other legitimate interests, parties shall refrain from including, or shall partially redact where inclusion is necessary, the following personal data identifiers from all documents and pleadings filed with the court, including exhibits thereto, whether filed electronically or in paper, unless otherwise ordered by the Court or required by statute, the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure or the Official Bankruptcy Forms.

  1. Social Security numbers. If an individual’s social security number must be included in a pleading, only the last four digits of that number should be used.
  2. Names of minor children. If the involvement of a minor child must be mentioned, only the initials of that child should be used. On Schedule I of Official Bankruptcy Form 6, list relationship and age of the debtor’s dependents (i.e., son, age 6).
  3. Dates of birth. If an individual’s date of birth must be included in a pleading, only the year should be used. On Schedule I of Official Bankruptcy Form 6, list the age of each of the debtor’s dependents.
  4. Financial account numbers. If financial account numbers are relevant, only the last four digits of these numbers should be used. On Schedules D, E, and F of Official Bankruptcy Form 6, debtors, if they so choose, may include their full account numbers to assist the trustee and creditors.

In compliance with the E-Government Act of 2002, a party wishing to file a document containing the personal data identifiers listed above may

  1. file an unredacted version of the document under seal, or
  2. file a reference list under seal. The reference list shall contain the complete personal data identifier(s) and the redacted identifier(s) used in its(their) place in the filing. All references in the case to the redacted identifiers included in the reference list will be construed to refer to the corresponding complete personal data identifier. The reference list must be filed under seal, and may be amended as of right.

The unredacted version of the document or the reference list shall be retained by the court as part of the record. The court may, however, still require the party to file a redacted copy for the public file.

 

The responsibility for redacting these personal identifiers rests solely with counsel and the parties. The Clerk will not review each document for compliance with this rule.