Nailah Byrd
CLEVELAND, Ohio— The Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts has changed its website to allow for same-day access to new filings, a move made to settle a lawsuit with a legal publication.
The county also agreed to pay $13,000 in fees to attorneys for Courthouse News Service, which filed the lawsuit in July in federal court in Cleveland.
The publication, based in Pasadena, California, accused the clerk of courts, Nailah Byrd, of violating longstanding rights by the media and the public to view records as soon as they’re filed.
Previously, Byrd’s office made the documents available only after someone reviewed and processed them. Courthouse News Service argued that the practice amounted to a sealed lawsuit without a judge’s order.
The case is one of several the outlet has filed in recent years against court clerks who have failed to make new lawsuits available the day they’re filed. In a case brought against the clerk in Franklin County, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction that forced the records to be made available.
Courthouse News Service reporters publish the names of new cases filed each day in areas across the country.
