When researching an individual, whether for personal reasons or for a job background check, many people use Google or online databases. For individuals identified through media as suspects in criminal investigations, this presence on Google can be devastating. People researching you may see dated and misleading information, even if you were never charged with a crime. Other individuals find that a crime for which they were arrested or convicted years or even decades earlier continues to harm their chances of being hired. It is possible to change or control what people can discover about you online, but it requires determination and expertise.

Google

If your name keeps popping up on Google as related to a particular crime or other negative information, it is possible to have the article either unpublished or deindexed.

Article Unpublished

News articles may be unpublished, which means the publisher removes the article after which reference to it is removed by Google. To do this, you must contact the publisher of the article. Editors are more likely to remove articles that are unfair or misleading.

Article Deindexed

The article may also be deindexed, which means it is still in the publisher's online database, but it will not be pulled up in a Google search. To be deindexed, it is necessary to contact Google. It takes a firm stance and repeated efforts to get an article deindexed. Expungement of an arrest or conviction record may assist in deindexing a related article.

NJ Criminal Background Checks

Most criminal background checks are now requested online. In New Jersey, there are limitations on who can access an individual's criminal record, but it is legal for employers to conduct a criminal background check as part of the hiring process. This means that an arrest or criminal record can impact your employment indefinitely. To avoid this, a person must seek expungement of their record.

Expungement of Arrest or Criminal Records in NJ

Expungement involves the removal or sealing of an arrest or conviction record and related papers maintained by the court, detention facility, and/or law enforcement agency.

New Jersey law sets forth some details on people that qualify for expungement under Title 2C, Section 52. The expungement process is complex, and copies of paperwork must be served on several parties, including the Attorney General and the District Attorney. Failure to correctly execute any step in the process completely will result in the court denying the petition. There may or may not be a hearing, but if all goes well, the judge will sign a final expungement order and forward it to appropriate agencies. This order will assist in your efforts to convince Google to deindex other records.

If you need to address harmful information online, or if you are looking to expunge a prior arrest or conviction in New Jersey, you should have an experienced expungement attorney on your side. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.