Case.net Database Specific Search Methods

Search methods include:

• Litigant Name Search
• Filing Date Search
• Case Number Search
• Scheduled Hearings/Trials Search
  • Search by Judge/Commissioner
  • Search by Attorney
• Judgment Index Search
• Pay By Web

Litigant Name Search

A Litigant is a person or business that is a party to lawsuit and does not include the Judge or Attorneys on a case. If the user knows the litigant's last name or the first part of the last name, the Litigant Name Search method may be used. Use the last name field to search for a business or organization that is a litigant on a case. Select the Litigant Name Search method and the following page appears:

Search for Cases in:

The Litigant Name Search defaults to All Participating Courts, The user can search for cases in All Participating Courts (all trial court judicial circuit and appellate court locations) or select the appropriate circuit or appellate court to narrow the search results. It is recommended to search on the specific circuit if that information is known.

Last Name:

The Last Name field is required. Enter the Litigant's last name or the first part of the last name in the Last Name field. The name fields are not case sensitive. It doesn't matter if upper or lowercase letters are used in the fields. Example Searches:

• Full Last Name: Entering 'Herman' in the last name field will retrieve all cases with a litigant whose last name is 'Herman', it will also find any business or organization names that start with 'Herman'.
• Entering 'Herm' in last name field will retrieve all the cases with a litigant whose last name begins with "Herm" such as Herman or Hermit.
• Entering 'Herman Roofing Company' in the last name field will retrieve all the cases with 'Herman Roofing Company' as a litigant.
• At least 2 characters need to be entered in the last name field to allow a search. If the last name or partial last name has more that 1000 results that will return, a common last name message displays to prevent the browser from timing-out. If you receive the following message, enter additional optional information. ' Your inquiry was not processed. You have attempted to search on a 'common' Last Name which would result in a time-out before the results would be returned. Please narrow your search with additional name criteria.'
• Include Alias Information: This box defaults as unchecked, checking the box allows a search on a litigant name that is believed to be an alias.

Optional fields used to help narrow the search are described below.

First Name : The First Name field operates like the Last Name field, in that it is not case sensitive. Only the first letter(s) of the name need be entered to perform a search.

MI : The Middle Initial field allows only the first letter of the middle name to be entered.

Year Case Was Filed : The case filing date field requires all four digits of the year.

Case Status : This option displays for circuit specific searches.

• Defaults to All radio button and displays all cases that meet the other search criteria.
• Selecting the Pending radio button displays only the open cases that meet the search criteria.
• Selecting the Disposed radio button displays only the cases that have a final determination. On a criminal or traffic cases, the disposition is entered when the plea is accepted.

Case Type : The case type field has five (5) categories:

• All: Civil, Criminal, Probate, Traffic/Municipal and Infractions;
• Civil: Circuit and associate cases, as well as transcript judgments and administrative orders;
• Criminal: Circuit and associate felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions;
• Probate: Guardianships, conservatorships, trusts, estates, and wills on deposit (mental health cases are not public information);
• Traffic/Municipal: Moving and non-moving traffic or ordinance violations;
• Infraction: A violation for which the only sentence authorized is a fine. Default judgments were entered on some infraction charges during a period of time from August 28, 2009 through February 25, 2010, when the laws regarding infractions changed.

County : The County field is dynamic and reacts to any choice made by the user in the Search for cases in field. For example, in the 4th Circuit, cases from Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway and Worth counties are available on Case.net. A user can choose to search cases in all of the four counties or in one of the available counties. This field is not available when searching for cases in "All Participating Courts."

Location : When a county is chosen, then the location block populates with the individual divisions within that county. At this point selecting a Location will further narrow the search by defining the location within a circuit where a case was filed. This field is not available when searching for cases in "All Participating Courts." All locations with in a specific county including Municipal divisions using the statewide case management system will appear in the list.

Once the search criteria is entered/selected, click the Find button to execute the search. A list of cases will appear.

Click the Case Number hyperlink to see detailed Case Information Screens on that case.

Note : There are exceptions to the information that will display for a specific litigant based on the type of case that is being retrieved

Paternity cases do not display on Case.net for a defendant unless a judgment is entered against that litigant. Petitioner/Plaintiff names or identifying information do not display on Protection Order cases in Case.net. Protection Orders cases that are dismissed do not display, only cases with judgment appear when searching on the Litigant Name Search, Filing Date Search and the Scheduled Hearings and Trials search. If the exact Case Number is known it can be entered in the Case Number Search to return case information at any time before or after the judgment is entered.

Filing Date Search

If a user knows the filing date, he/she can enter it in the Start Date field. Cases filed during the seven (7) day period beginning with that date will be returned.

Search for Cases In:

This field is required and does not allow a search on All Participating courts. If an appellate court location or the Fine Collection Center is selected, only the required fields are available. When a trial court circuit is selected, additional optional fields are available to narrow the search. Start date of 7-day search: This field is required and allows the date to be typed in the mm/dd/yyyy format or allows the user to select the date from the calendar viewing option by clicking on the calendar icon.

Optional information that helps narrow the search is described below:

Case Type : Case types include All, Criminal, Civil, Probate, and Traffic/Municipal and Infraction.

• All: Civil, Criminal, Probate, Traffic/Municipal and Infractions;
• Civil: Circuit and associate cases, as well as transcript judgments and administrative orders;
• Criminal: Circuit and associate felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions;
• Probate: Guardianships, conservatorships, trusts, estates, and wills on deposit (mental health cases are not public information);
• Traffic/Municipal: Moving and non-moving traffic or ordinance violations;
• Infraction: A violation for which the only sentence authorized is a fine. Default judgments were entered on some infraction charges during a period of time from August 28, 2009 through February 25, 2010, when the laws regarding infractions changed.
• County : The County field is dynamic and reacts to any choice made by the user in the Search for cases in field. For example, in the 37th Circuit, cases from Carter, Howell, Oregon, and Shannon counties are available on Case.net. A user can choose to search cases in all of the four counties or in one of the available counties. This field is not available when searching for cases in "All Participating Courts."
• Location : When a county is chosen, then the location block populates with the individual divisions within that county. At this point selecting a Location will further narrow the search by defining the location within a circuit where a case was filed. This field is not available when searching for cases in "All Participating Courts." All locations with in a specific county including Municipal divisions using the statewide case management system will appear in the list.

Once the search criteria is entered/selected, click on the Find button to execute the search. A list of cases will appear, click on the Case Number hyperlink to see the detailed Case Information Screens on that case.

Note : There are exceptions to the information that will display for a specific litigant based on the type of case that is being retrieved.

Paternity cases do not display unless a judgment in entered on the case.

Petitioner/Plaintiff names or identifying information do not display on Protection Order cases in Case.net. Protection Orders cases that are dismissed do not display, only cases with judgment display in the results list for the Filing Date Search.

Case Number Search

By selecting the Case Number Search method, a case number can be used to search for case information.

The user can search for cases in All Participating Courts (all trial courts circuits and appellate courts) or select the appropriate circuit or appellate court to narrow the search results. Enter the Case Number field and click the Find button.

This search method is very precise and does not allow wildcard searches, such as typing only part of the number followed by an asterisk.

Note : Some cases are considered master cases because a subsequent case has been opened using the same Case ID. These subsequent cases are identified by the case number followed by a suffix, -01, -02 etc. depending on the number of sub-cases.

Entering a Case ID will list the master and subsequent cases if any exist. Click on the Case Number hyperlink to see the detailed information on that case. Select the highest sub-case to view the most current information.

Effective January 1, 2012, Court Operating Rule 2 allows The Case Number Search to return protection order cases at any time before or after judgment is entered if the exact case number is entered in the search box.

Click the Case Number hyperlink to see detailed Case Information Screens on that case.

Note : There are exceptions to the information that will display for a specific litigant based on the type of case that is being retrieved.

Paternity cases do not display unless a judgment is entered on the case.

Petitioner/Plaintiff names or identifying information do not display on Protection Order cases in Case.net. Protection Orders cases that are dismissed do not display.

Scheduled Hearings/Trials Search

This search method is used to query public, future, open events. By selecting the Scheduled Hearings/Trials Search method, a schedule can be produced by Judge/Commissioner or Attorney for a specified date or period of seven (7) days scheduled within a specific trial court circuit.

To query on future open scheduled hearings or trials by judge/commissioner, choose:

• Search for cases in : Select a specific trial court circuit.
• Start Date : The date selected is the date of the Single day or the first day of the Seven day search period. This date cannot be earlier than the current date.
• Search Period : Select either the Single day or Seven day option.
• Search Type : Select either Search by Judge/Commissioner or Search by Attorney.
• Search by Judge/Commissioner : Select the name of the Judge/Commissioner from the drop down menu.
• Search by Attorney : Enter the MOBAR # (Missouri Bar No.) and select the County.

Once the search criteria is entered/selected, click on the Find button to execute the search. The results will appear in a list. Click on the Case Number hyperlink to see the detailed information on that case.

Scheduled Hearings/Trials Search Results

The results pages for a Judge/Commissioner calendar and attorney calendar are very similar. The same information returns for each page with the only difference being formatting.

Judge/Commissioner - Search Results

The Judge/Commissioner associated to the event appears at the top of the page. The results are sorted by Date, Time, and Case Number. Each event's Case Number is a link to the case header page.

Note: Only public, future and open events will display. Open events are those that have not been continued, cancelled or held.

Attorney Calendar - Search Results

The attorney associated to the event appears at the top of the page. The Judge/Commissioner associated to the event appears below the event text for each event displayed the attorney calendar. The results are sorted by Date, Time, and Case Number. Each event's Case Number is a link to the case header page.

Note: Only public, future and open events will display. Open events are those that have not been continued, cancelled or held.

Note: There are exceptions to the information that will display for a specific litigant based on the type of case that is being retrieved.

Paternity cases do not display unless a judgment is entered on the case.

Petitioner/Plaintiff names or identifying information do not display on Protection Order cases in Case.net. Protection Order cases that are dismissed do not display, only cases with judgment display on the results list of the Scheduled Hearings/Trials Search.

Judgment Index Search

A judgment is the official decision or determination on issues in a court proceeding. The Judgment Index search allows a user to search on a litigant’s name to find the summary of the judgment entered against the litigant. Effective January 1, 2012, Court Operating Rule 2 allows for a public Judgment Index Search in Case.net.

Search for cases in: The Judgment Index Search defaults to All Participating Courts, The user can search for cases in All Participating Courts (all trial court judicial circuit and appellate court locations) or select the appropriate circuit or appellate court to narrow the search results. It is recommended to search on the specific circuit if that information is known.

• Last Name : The Last Name field is required. Enter the Litigant's last name or the first part of the last name in the Last Name field. The name fields are not case sensitive. It does not matter if upper or lowercase letters are used in the fields.
• Include Alias Information: This box defaults as unchecked. Checking the box allows a search on a litigant name that is believed to be an alias.

Optional fields used to help narrow the search are described below.

First Name : The First Name field operates like the Last Name field, in that it is not case sensitive. Only the first letter(s) of the name need be entered to perform a search.

MI : The Middle Initial field allows only the first letter of the middle name to be entered.

Year Case Was Filed : The case filing date field requires all four digits of the year.

Case Status : This option displays for circuit specific searches.

• Defaults to All radio button and displays all cases that meet the other search criteria.
• Selecting the Pending radio button displays only the open cases that meet the search criteria.
• Selecting the Disposed radio button displays only the cases that have a final determination. On a criminal or traffic cases, the disposition is entered when the plea is accepted.

Case Type : The case type field has five (5) categories:

• All: Civil, Criminal, Probate, Traffic/Municipal and Infractions;
• Civil: Circuit and associate cases, as well as transcript judgments and administrative orders;
• Criminal: Circuit and associate felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions;
• Probate: Guardianships, conservatorships, trusts, estates, and wills on deposit (mental health cases are not public information);
• Traffic/Municipal: Moving and non-moving traffic or ordinance violations;
• Infraction: A violation for which the only sentence authorized is a fine. Default judgments were entered on some infraction charges during a period of time from August 28, 2009 through February 25, 2010, when the laws regarding infractions changed.
• County : The County field is dynamic and reacts to any choice made by the user in the Search for cases in field.

For example, in the 4th Circuit, cases from Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway and Worth counties are available on Case.net. A user can choose to search cases in all of the four counties or in one of the available counties. This field is not available when searching for cases in "All Participating Courts."

Location : When a county is chosen, then the location block populates with the individual divisions within that county. At this point selecting a Location will further narrow the search by defining the location within a circuit where a case was filed. This field is not available when searching for cases in "All Participating Courts." All locations within a specific county including Municipal divisions using the statewide case management system will appear in the list.

Once the search criteria is entered/selected, click the Find button to execute the search. A list of cases with judgments will appear.

Judgment Index - Search Results

The search results page for the Judgment Index lists all cases where there is a judgment against the litigant searched upon.

Clicking on the Case Number link takes the user to the Case Header information and allows the user to navigate to any of the other case information pages.

Clicking on the Judgment Type link takes the user to the Civil Judgments information.

The Additional Info field can show one of three possible links at a time. When selected it takes the user to the Docket Entries Tab to view the current status of the case. The 3 possible links are:

• Vacate/Set Aside – Displays this link if an Order to Set Aside is entered in JIS on or after the filing date of the judgment.
• Scire Facias/Rev Judgment – Displays this link if an Order Scire Facias/Revival of Judgment is entered in JIS on or after the filing date of the judgment.
• Bankruptcy Discharge – Displays this link if an Order for Bankruptcy Ct Discharge Judgment is entered in JIS on or after the filing date of the judgment.

VIEWING TRANSCRIPT JUDGMENTS - CASE.NET JUDGMENT INDEX

• Judgment transcribed within county of original judgment - User searches on the litigant's name in the Judgment Index Search and a case or cases will appear. In this example an AC Suit on Account case appears. The original judgment was entered on 1/30/2012. The judgment was transcribed on 2/9/2012 in the same county, court location and case.
• Judgment transcribed in a different county within the same judicial circuit - User searches on the litigant's name in the Judgment Index Search and cases will appear. In this example an AC Suit on account case is filed in Franklin county and judgment is entered on that case on 1/5/2012. However the Transcript Judgment is filed in Gasconade county on 1/16/2012.
• Judgment transcribed in a different judicial circuit - User searches on the litigant's name in the Judgment Index Search and cases will appear. In this example an AC Suit on Account case was filed in Franklin county and judgment was entered. However the judgment was transcribed in St. Charles county.

PAY BY WEB

Pay By Web allows users to search on a specific case in order to pay court costs and fees online. Credit/Debit Card and electronic check (eCheck) are the approved methods of payment that Pay By Web accepts.



Selecting the Pay By Web icon opens the Pay By Web search page to enter the Court and Case Number on which the user would like to make a payment.



If the Court and Case Number are unknown, any of the other Case.net search option are available for use After locating the correct case, access the Case Header tab and the Pay By Web icon to complete the Pay By Web search.