Oklahoma Court Case Lookup

In Oklahoma, a court case is a legal proceeding in which a judge decides a dispute between two parties. A judge in Oklahoma decides the outcome of court cases based on evidence and the law.

The parties involved in a court case may be individuals, businesses, or government entities. On one hand, there is the plaintiff (the person or entity filing the lawsuit), and on the other hand, there is the defendant (the person or entity being sued).

Courts of general jurisdiction, otherwise called district courts, hear and resolve the majority of cases in Oklahoma, whether civil or criminal and only through appeals do cases go to higher courts.

Appeals for criminal cases are heard at the Court of Criminal Appeals, while appeals for cases of a civil nature are heard at the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

The Oklahoma State Court Network (OSCN) provides access to anyone who wishes to look up a case in Oklahoma. However, the OSCN does not give access to records of cases that aren't open to the public because of laws or court orders.

The OSCN online database doesn't replace court case management systems; it only provides public access to district and appellate court records.

To look up a case on the OSCN website, select the "case search" option. From there, search for a case by party name, or a case number. The OSCN website offers a convenient way to view case dockets and documents, such as pleadings and orders, and to monitor the progress of cases as they move through the courts.

Are Court Cases Public Record in Oklahoma?

Yes, Oklahoma court records are available for public access. The Oklahoma Open Records Act of 1984, which was later amended in 1988, allows public access to court records, except where certain records are prohibited from public view by law or court order.

According to the Open Records Act, anybody who intends to obtain a court record in Oklahoma only needs to make a request to be granted access. This doesn’t require any sort of “statement of purpose” unless otherwise stated.

One can find records of court cases with the clerk of the court where the case is filed, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, or the Oklahoma State Court Network (OSCN).

The information available in public records includes the crime an individual is being tried for, the verdict of the court, and all the filings made on the case.

Can I Get Oklahoma Court Case Documents Online?

Yes, one can get court case documents online. In Oklahoma, anybody can search the online database of the Oklahoma State Courts Network (OSCN) to find court case documents. On the OSCN website, one can use the full name of a party or their case number to look at case documents.

Sensitive data, such as social security numbers, bank account numbers, and driver’s license numbers, is restricted and may not be found in online court records.

How to Conduct Oklahoma Court Search by Name

Conducting a court case search by name in Oklahoma, which obviously can be done by anybody, simply involves going to the Oklahoma State Courts Network website and performing a search query with any of these parameters; the name of the party, date of filing, citation number, case number, jurisdiction, and case type.

Alternatively, one can contact the clerk of the court where the case was filed, either by visiting in person or by sending a written request.

What is a Court Case Number?

A case number is a unique identifier that could be a combination of numbers, letters, and special characters.

Usually, when a case is presented or filed in court, the first thing that’s done is that a case number is assigned to it by the clerk of the court.

The essence of a case number is to make cases easier to track and retrieve. Most case numbers have four parts: the year the case was filed, the type of case, a sequence number that is chosen at random, and the county where the case was filed.

Case numbers are very important because they make it easy to find information about civil and criminal cases, give detailed information about the case, and help the court files get to the right place.

How to Conduct a Case Number Search in Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, case number searches are conducted to find information about a specific court case. To find a case number, one can search online via the court’s portal or visit the courthouse in person.

The Oklahoma State Court Network (OSCN) portal is the official online platform where anyone can search for information about any court case in Oklahoma. To do that, here are the steps to follow:

Visit the Oklahoma State Court Network website.
Pick the type of court.
Enter the case number into the search field
Click the search button to pull up case records and view them.

In situations where one doesn’t have the case number, other information, such as the date of filing and the party’s name, is used to initiate a search on the portal.

How to Remove Court Cases From Public Record in Oklahoma

Parties, people involved in the case, or anyone whose information is in the court record can ask for a case to be kept from the public. This is known as expungement. The process of removing court cases from public records starts with concerned parties submitting a formal petition to the court and letting everyone involved in the case know about the petition.

Not all criminal records are expungeable. When a criminal record is expunged in Oklahoma, the public can't see it. However, law enforcement can still see it if the court says so or if they need to. If the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) thinks that the public's interest in keeping the record is more important than the implications of keeping the record, they will resist a petition to erase the record. Even if a candidate fits the standards, OSBI may object on policy grounds.

When a petition is sent to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for expungement or an order of dismissal, the applicant must include a name, social security number, date of birth, the crimes for which they are being charged, the date of arrest, and the outcome of the arrest, including any charges that were brought against them in court.

In most cases, the filing fee for expungement is $150, which is less than 10% of the total cost of expunging a minor offense.

When case records are hidden from public view, individuals can seek employment, housing, and other assistance that they may otherwise be denied with a publicly available criminal record.

The expungement of case records may take time and financial costs. Typically, the process takes a year or longer.

The following Oklahoma statutes specify numerous types of expungements: Section 18, Section 991 (C), Section 60.18, and Section 19(A) (C). According to oklaw.org, each type of expungement should be pursued based on a variety of factors, including:

Both the crime and circumstance fall under Section 18.
Individuals can be eligible for an expungement if they finished their probation or received a delayed sentence. (Article 991(C))
In some circumstances, a protection order included their name. (Article 60.18)
A person’s identity was stolen and used to commit a crime. (Sec. 19(A))

If a person has any kind of pending charge, whether it's a misdemeanor or a felony, they can't get any kind of expungement, even if the type of expungement they could get depends on the charge.

Some crimes can't be taken off public records, and the legal system doesn't take off unofficial records that have been reported by media outlets.

To remove a case from Oklahoma's public records, these are the steps individuals should take:

They should submit a request at the court clerk's office in the county where the charges were filed (petition).
The clerk will provide them with a hearing date. They will then be required to appear in court and answer the judge's questions.
They must serve a copy of their petition to the district attorney, the agency that arrested them, and the OSBI prior to the hearing.
Attend the hearing. If they satisfy the legal requirements and the judge believes that the harm to their privacy outweighs the public interest in maintaining the records' accessibility, the judge will order that the court case records be erased.

If the court grants a request for the expungement of court records, an order is issued to delete such records from public view.

Sometimes, the court may decide to only delete certain sections of the court records from public view instead of the entirety of the case records.

How to Check a Court Case Status in Oklahoma

Anyone can check the status of a court case in Oklahoma. To do that, here’s how:

Option one: Search the Oklahoma State Courts Network's (OSCN) online database of court cases by case number, party name, or filing date.

Option two: Visit the courthouse where the case was filed. One can find out the status of a court case in person.

Option three: Call or write the courthouse where the case was filed, requesting information about the court case from the court clerk.

To find out information regarding a case, individuals will need to give some basic information, like the case number or the names of the people involved.

How to Find Supreme Court Decisions in Oklahoma

On the Oklahoma State Courts Network portal, published court decisions can be viewed for free.

In the "Case search” or “court records” options on the homepage, one can enter a case number or the names of the parties involved.

Alternatively, one can select the Legal Research link at the top of the homepage, followed by "Oklahoma Cases". On the "Oklahoma Cases'' page, a search can be done using keywords or party names. On each case name, one can find a link to the corresponding court verdict on that case.

Also, anyone can alternatively request copies of court decisions on a case from the court clerk. The case's name and number must be supplied in the request to the clerk, as well as any applicable fees.

What Percentage of Court Cases Go to Trial in Oklahoma?

Statistics from the National Center for State Courts show that only about 2% to 5% of civil cases filed in state courts in the United States go to trial.

In Oklahoma, the percentage of court cases that proceed to trial can vary substantially based on variables such as the nature of the case, the parties involved, and the court where the case is heard. However, only a small fraction of court cases really proceed to trial.
A fair trial in front of a jury is one of the most important rights of people who have been accused of a crime in the United States.

However, between 90 and 95 percent of criminal convictions do not occur at trial. Instead of a trial, they are the result of a guilty plea that was worked out between the prosecutor and the defense lawyer.

Cases that don't go to trial are either settled before trial or the court throws them out for different reasons. Depending on the details of each case, the percentage of Oklahoma cases that go to trial may be higher or lower than the average for the rest of the country.

How Long Does a Court Case Last in Oklahoma?

On average, court cases in Oklahoma are settled in less than two years. But the length of a court case in Oklahoma can be very different depending on the type of case, how complicated the issues are, and which court hears the case.

Some cases may be addressed within a few weeks, while others may take several years. In Oklahoma, the duration of a court case can be affected by different factors, such as the kind of instance, court schedule, participating parties, etc.

Court cases that are concluded swiftly are typically those whose parties are able to strike a settlement agreement or have their cases dismissed by the court.

Normally, cases with large chunks of evidence or several witnesses may take longer to decide than those with fewer pieces of evidence or witnesses.

How to File a Case in Court in Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, individuals or parties can start a court case by filing petitions. A petition is merely a statement of the facts that identify the parties, describe what transpired, and explain why the defendant should pay the plaintiff a certain amount of money. The plaintiff or the plaintiff's attorney signs the petition, which is subsequently served on the defendant.

When they file a lawsuit, plaintiffs must meet certain requirements, or the suit could be thrown out.

If the petition says that the plaintiff lost something but it's not a real claim or it wants a remedy that Oklahoma law says can't be given, then the petition doesn't make a legal case and must be thrown out.

The petition is not required to provide specifics. However, there must be some asserted facts, not merely legal assertions.
Once the lawsuit has been filed in accordance with the aforementioned fundamental requirements, it must be submitted to the court clerk in the county where the lawsuit shall be filed (i.e., the court with proper venue).

The filing fee must be paid to the clerk in order for the petition to be filed and a case number to be assigned.
After filing a lawsuit, it must be served on the defendant. To give the lawsuit to the defendant in person, one can use certified mail, the sheriff, or a private process server. Personal service is better because the defendant can't say they didn't know a lawsuit had been filed against them.

After being served with the lawsuit, the defendant will have twenty days to file a response. They can also ask for an automatic 20-day extension when their lawyer shows up, giving them a total of 40 days to respond. Once the defendants have answered a lawsuit, it is up to the plaintiff to move the case forward to trial.

What Does It Mean if a Court Case Was Resolved Before the Trial Date?

In a civil case, it means that the parties have engaged in extensive pre-trial negotiations and reached a settlement outside of court.

In a criminal case, this could mean that the case was handled through a plea bargain in which the defendant agreed to plead to a lesser charge than the original, a specific punishment in exchange for a guilty plea, or a combination of the two.

The overwhelming majority of criminal cases are handled through plea bargains.