To find out if a lawsuit has been filed against you online, search two places by your name: PACER for federal court filings, and your state judiciary’s official case search portal for state court filings. Most civil cases are filed in state court, so start there, then check PACER to cover the federal side. Neither search costs anything meaningful for a one-time name check.
Search PACER for Federal Cases
PACER, the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, covers every federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy court and holds more than a billion documents.1Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER). PACER Homepage You can run a name search across all federal courts using the nationwide case index, or search inside a single court if you have a guess about where a case would have been filed.
You need a free account to use it. Once you’re registered, you can pull docket sheets, view filed documents, and check case status. Viewing costs $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 per document, and court opinions are always free. If your total charges stay at or below $30 in a calendar quarter, the fees are waived.2United States Courts. Find a Case (PACER) A quick name search to see whether anything has been filed against you almost always falls under that waiver.
Search Your State Court’s Online Portal
Most civil lawsuits are filed in state court, not federal, so this is where the majority of searchers will find (or rule out) a case. Many state judiciaries now run free public case search portals. Coverage and search features vary widely: some states have a single statewide database, others make you search county by county, and a few still keep older filings offline.
Go to your state judiciary’s official website directly. Look for a link labeled “case search,” “court records,” or “public access.” Most portals let you search by first and last name, and some allow filtering by case type, filing date, or court location.
If the portal returns nothing but you still have reason to think a case exists, call the clerk’s office at the court where it might have been filed. The court clerk is the official record keeper and can confirm whether anything has been filed under your name.3Judicial Branch of California. Help at Your Court Calling the clerk is also the most reliable way to confirm that a result you did find online is legitimate.
Records You Won’t Find Online
A clean search does not guarantee no case exists. It means no publicly accessible case matching your search turned up in that particular system. Federal courts restrict access to categories including juvenile records, sealed filings, unexecuted warrants, and pretrial reports.4U.S. Courts. Accessing Court Documents – Journalist’s Guide State courts follow similar patterns, often restricting cases involving minors, some family law matters, mental health proceedings, and cases under active investigation.
If you have specific reason to believe a suit was filed and your online searches come up empty, call the clerk or consult an attorney who can check across restricted databases.
Verify Before You React to Any Notice
Scammers routinely impersonate courts, judges, and attorneys to pressure people into sending money or handing over personal information. The federal judiciary has warned about fraudulent calls and emails that pose as official court communications, often threatening fines or jail unless the recipient acts immediately by providing a Social Security number or making a payment.5United States Courts. Federal Court Scams
Real courts do not call or email demanding money, gift cards, or immediate payment to avoid arrest. If you get a message claiming you’ve been sued, verify it independently. Search the case number in PACER or your state court portal. Call the clerk’s office at a number you find on the court’s official site, not one supplied by the message. Legitimate court websites use a .gov domain.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. Duties and Authorities Relating to .gov Internet Domain
Finding a Case Online Is Not the Same as Being Served
This distinction matters. Discovering a lawsuit in an online database is not the same as being formally served. Your deadline to respond does not begin when you find the case on a court website. It begins when you are properly served with the summons and complaint.
Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4, a summons must name the court and the parties, state how long you have to respond, and warn that failing to respond will result in a default judgment. It must be delivered by someone at least 18 years old who is not a party to the case.7Cornell Law Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 4 State rules vary but follow the same principle: formal notice starts the clock. Some states require personal hand-delivery, others allow service by mail or, in narrow situations, by publication.
Even so, if you see your name in a filing, don’t wait for the papers to arrive. Contact the clerk, get the details, and talk to an attorney. Delay makes a case you already know about harder to resolve later.
What to Do If You Confirm a Filing
Once you confirm a suit has been filed, you’re on a clock. In federal court you have 21 days after being served to file a formal response called an answer.8Legal Information Institute. Rule 12 – Defenses and Objections: When and How Presented If you waived formal service at the plaintiff’s request, that extends to 60 days. State deadlines vary, commonly 20 to 30 days.
Missing the deadline can produce a default judgment. When a defendant fails to respond, the plaintiff can ask the court to rule in their favor without a trial, and the court can award whatever the complaint requested, including money damages.9Legal Information Institute. Rule 55 – Default; Default Judgment A default judgment is enforceable like any other judgment: the plaintiff can garnish wages, levy bank accounts, or place a lien on property.
Steps to take right away:
- Get a copy of the complaint from PACER, the state court portal, or the clerk’s office, and read it carefully to understand what is being claimed.
- Write down every deadline. The response deadline is not negotiable.
- Consult an attorney, even for a single session, to identify defenses and decide what to file. If cost is an obstacle, legal aid organizations generally serve households at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines.10eCFR. Part 1611 – Financial Eligibility
- Do not ignore it. Ignoring a lawsuit never makes it go away.
If a Default Judgment Has Already Been Entered
If your online search turns up a suit you never knew about and a default judgment has already been entered, you may still have options. Federal courts allow a defendant to seek relief from a judgment under Rule 60(b), which covers mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect. A motion on those grounds must be filed within a reasonable time and no more than one year after the judgment was entered.11Legal Information Institute. Rule 60 – Relief from a Judgment or Order A judgment can also be challenged as void if you were never properly served.
State courts have similar procedures with their own rules and time limits. You’ll generally need to show two things: a good reason you didn’t respond originally, and a plausible defense to the underlying claims. Courts won’t reopen a case just because a deadline was missed. This is one situation where hiring an attorney, even only to prepare and file the motion, is almost always worth the cost.