Court Case File Research Request: District/County Court

DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE TO ORDER HENNEPIN COUNTY CASE FILES RELATING TO ADOPTION, CHANGE OF NAME, DIVORCE, PROBATE, GUARDIANSHIP, COMMITMENT, OR CRIMINAL CHARGES.
MNHS does not hold these records; Hennepin County retained the case files relating to family matters, including divorces, probate, commitment and guardianship, and adoptions. They also retained criminal case files other than a select few from 1947. Contact the Hennepin County Court Records Center for more information.

About Adoptions

Adoption is the process by which an adult becomes a child’s new, legal parent (the permanent, official guardian).

• Adoptions are governed by state law, and were generally filed in civil court of the home-county of the adoptive parent(s) at the time the adoption was completed.
• Most adoptions were uncontested and straightforward requests, and these files generally contain just the petition and order of adoption. Some cases were more complex and are significantly longer.
• Record restrictions: Adoption records are closed for 100 years from the date of adoption (not the date of the child’s birth). Staff will contact you if restrictions apply to your request, and will provide information on next steps.

• Commitment--also sometimes called an “insanity action”-- was the process for involuntarily placing a person in a state hospital for non-criminal reasons (usually related to mental health or substance abuse issues).
• These case files may contain a petition asking the court to declare an individual insane, medical testimony bearing on the individual’s mental capacity, a determination by the court of the individual’s mental state, the possible commitment to a state hospital or other facility, and the appointment of a guardian for the individual.
• These files may contain medical and other private information, so access restrictions may apply. Staff will contact you if restrictions apply to your request, and will provide information on next steps.
• This service provides copies of a case file from the court. It does not cover access to the State Hospitals’ patient records.

• Criminal lawsuits are brought by a governmental body (federal, state, or local) against a person, a group, or a corporate body which has allegedly committed a crime.
• Crimes can fall into a variety of categories: violent, non-violent, financial, criminal negligence, etc.
• Criminal cases were usually tried in their own criminal court by a prosecutor and usually show up as a governmental body versus a private citizen (State of Minnesota v. Scott, or Ramsey County v. Kirk, or City of Bemidji v. McCoy), depending on the jurisdiction of the law broken.
• Case files may include a wide variety of documents, including the initial complaint, indictments, summonses/subpoenas, judgements, sentences, etc. Full or partial transcripts are extremely rare.
• During or after criminal proceedings, civil cases may arise to seek financial or other damages. To request a civil case file, please submit a separate request.
• While criminal files may include information about a defendant’s incarceration, it does not cover access to an inmate’s correctional records.

• A divorce is the legal dissolution (ending) of a marriage.
• These are civil cases heard in civil court (and later family court). One spouse who initiated the divorce is the plaintiff and the other spouse is the defendant.
• The contents of the case file may vary widely, depending on the court, the time period, how the divorce happened, and if it was contested. Consideration of shared assets and/or minor children are also usually part of the records. Some cases have lengthy records, while others have very short files.

• These cases are mostly related to distribution of a person's belongings after they die, this may include cash, land, bank accounts, investments, household possessions, businesses, and other assets. There may also be information about debts or the care of minor children.
• Case files may include: documents requesting an appointment of an administrator; filing and proving of the will, authorizing the payment of valid claims on the decedent’s estate; inventorying the assets and liabilities of the estate; and determining the appropriate disposition of the assets to heirs.
• Estate cases are normally heard in the county probate courts--wills are just one part of the case file.
• Note: An estate case file generally includes the original wills, but MNHS also holds separate, official copies of the wills from all counties in Will Books. If you are only interested in the Will that was filed with the court--rather than the full case file--please order through the Will Book Record Request

• Guardianship cases--sometimes called conservatorships--were normally heard in the county probate courts.
• They are for minor children or adults who were unable to handle their own legal and financial affairs.
• These files may contain a petition to appoint a guardian, reports from social service, law enforcement, or other agencies, and reports on any assets that the person may own.

• A disagreement between employer and employee regarding condition of employment, compensation, etc.
• Many (non-union) disputes are handled via arbitration or mediation, while union disputes are dealt with by the same means, but many issues are ironed out during contract negotiations or collective bargaining sessions.
• Labor disputes that are filed in courts would be found in civil case files, with one party to the case being the employer and the other being the employee.
• Case files may include a wide variety of documents, including the initial complaint, summonses/subpoenas, judgements, etc. Full or partial transcripts are extremely rare.
• In all civil cases, criminal charges may be brought if, during proceedings, criminal activity has been found to have occured. To request a criminal case file, please submit a separate request.
• Research into older labor disputes may also include looking into records of the corporate body or company involved as well.

• The majority of land disputes are considered civil cases, as they are usually disagreements over ownership or rights of a piece of land, or are related to the money paid for owning/leasing land.
• Cases involving land can include government bodies (State of Minnesota, United States, counties/cities, tribal governments), businesses, or individuals, and may involve experts in the field, as well as historical documents.
• Particularly in older cases, many disputes involve the expansion of corporate held-lands by companies such as railroads, or the expansion of federal or state holdings, known as Eminent Domain (the right of a government or its agent to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation.)
• Case files may include a wide variety of documents, including the initial complaint, summonses/subpoenas, exhibits like maps, affidavits, judgements, etc. Full or partial transcripts are extremely rare.
• Damages may be awarded, but not received. Remedies for this may be liens on property or, in some cases, further lawsuits. To request the case files for multiple lawsuits, please submit separate requests.
• In all civil cases, criminal charges may be brought if, during proceedings, criminal activity has been found to have occured. To request a criminal case file, please submit a separate request.

• Court cases involving money (debt, breach of contract, payment dispute, eviction, etc.) are in civil case files.
• Lawsuits are filed by the party who is owed money (a business, a contracted employee, a landlord) and they are listed as the Plaintiff.
• Results of a civil lawsuit are known as the judgment, and in the case of money disputes a judgement may result in financial damages for either party.
• Case files may include a wide variety of documents, including the initial complaint, summonses/subpoenas, judgements, etc. Full or partial transcripts are extremely rare.
• In some cases, governmental bodies may bring civil lawsuits against individuals and vice versa.
• Damages may be awarded, but not received. Remedies for this may be liens on property or, in some cases, further lawsuits. To request the case files for multiple lawsuits, please submit separate requests.
• In all civil cases, criminal charges may be brought if, during proceedings, criminal activity has been found to have occured. To request a criminal case file, please submit a separate request.

DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE TO ORDER NATURALIZATION RECORDS. Instead, please order through the specialized Naturalization Records Request service.

About Naturalizations

• Naturalization is the legal process by which an immigrant becomes an American citizen.
• Earlier naturalizations began in either the county court or Minnesota Supreme Court, while later they were filed with the federal government.

• Personal injury lawsuits are when one person or party sues another for damages related to injury, usually resulting from negligence.
• Personal injury lawsuits can be related to the actions of individuals, companies, corporate bodies, government bodies, insurance providers, healthcare providers, etc.
• They are generally filed with the civil court and are not criminal cases resulting from assault, etc.
• Case files may include a wide variety of documents, including the initial complaint, summonses/subpoenas, judgements, etc. Full or partial transcripts are extremely rare
• In all civil cases, criminal charges may be brought if, during proceedings, criminal activity has been found to have occured. To request a criminal case file, please submit a separate request.