Court Transcripts

North Carolina Divorce Law Divorce and Separation Answers
1

Is it possible to get a copy of everything said in a court room for either the plaintiff or the defendant?

In a court hearing to an ex parte, I (the defendant) in a civil case would like to know if I can get a copy of everything stated and/or recorded in the hearing. I believe that an order written out by my judge said one thing when the plaintiff (my ex) and her lawyer are claiming the judge said something else.

The lawyer sent me a draft of the order for me to sign which i did not approve or sign and now she is sending me a final version of said draft without my signature.

What the subject of the disagreement i have is how often i can call my daughter who is currently residing 3,000 miles away from me in the USA. I thought that the order was for at least twice a week but the lawyer of the plaintiff is stating the judge ordered 1-2 times a week. Being that i live in California and my daughter is in North Carolina, i wouldn’t be happy with no more than twice a week. Any help is greatly appreciated thank you.

2

I am not an attorney

Yes you can get copies of transcripts. All I had to do was go to the Clerk of Court Office and fill out a paper with the court date you are requesting and the file (case) number. You may also need to bring a recordable CD. It didn’t cost me anything for any of my transcripts and I had mine within a week. I would suggest you call to find out the procedure in your particular county. Also don’t wait too long because I was told they don’t keep records very long (even though I got one transcript 3 months after the court date). Also I was told by my attorney that you can’t get transcripts for “civil” (divorce) cases, only superior court (which was a lie). Had I not taken matters into my own hands to inquire, I would have believed there were no way to get copies of the transcripts.

What I have learned…never believe everything you’re told…investigate things on your own!

Hope this helps!

3

You need to submit an audio transcript request to the clerk.