To deter identity theft and other abuses, New York state courts are now requiring litigants filing papers in civil actions to omit or redact certain confidential personal information. These new requirements are similar to the privacy protections effective in federal courts since 2007. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2.
By statute, New York has long required Social Security numbers to be removed or redacted from court filings. See N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 399-ddd(6); N.Y. Pub. Off. Law § 96-a(1). The new privacy rule now addresses these additional types of personally identifiable information:
- taxpayer identification numbers, including not only Social Security numbers but also employer identification numbers;
- dates of birth;
- minors’ names; and
- financial account numbers, including credit card, debit card, bank account, investment account and insurance account numbers.
Continue Reading New York State Courts Increase Privacy Protections for Litigation Filings