2013 New York Consolidated Laws
DOM - Domestic Relations
Article 13 - (230 - 255) PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF MATRIMONIAL ACTION
235 - Information as to details of matrimonial actions or proceedings.

 
    §   235.   Information   as  to  details  of  matrimonial  actions  or
  proceedings. 1. An officer of the court with whom the proceedings  in  a
  matrimonial  action or a written agreement of separation or an action or
  proceeding for custody, visitation or maintenance of a child are  filed,
  or  before  whom  the testimony is taken, or his clerk, either before or
  after the termination of the suit, shall not permit a copy of any of the
  pleadings, affidavits, findings of fact, conclusions of law, judgment of
  dissolution, written agreement of separation or memorandum  thereof,  or
  testimony,  or  any  examination  or perusal thereof, to be taken by any
  other person than a party, or the attorney or counsel of a party, except
  by order of the court.
    2. If the evidence on the trial of such an  action  or  proceeding  be
  such that public interest requires that the examination of the witnesses
  should  not be public, the court or referee may exclude all persons from
  the room except the parties to the action and their counsel, and in such
  case may order the evidence, when filed with the clerk, sealed up, to be
  exhibited only to the parties to the action  or  proceeding  or  someone
  interested, on order of the court.
    3.  Upon  the  application  of any person to the county clerk or other
  officer in charge of public records within a county for evidence of  the
  disposition, judgment or order with respect to a matrimonial action, the
  clerk  or other such officer shall issue a "certificate of disposition",
  duly certifying the nature and effect of such disposition,  judgment  or
  order  and  shall  in  no  manner  evidence  the  subject  matter of the
  pleadings, testimony, findings of fact, conclusions of law  or  judgment
  of dissolution derived in any such action.
    4. Any county, city, town or village clerk or other municipal official
  issuing  marriage  licenses  shall be required to accept, as evidence of
  dissolution of marriage, such "certificate of disposition" in lieu of  a
  complete  copy  of the findings of fact, conclusions of law and judgment
  of dissolution.
    5. The limitations of subdivisions one, two and three of this  section
  in  relation  to  confidentiality shall cease to apply one hundred years
  after date of filing, and such records shall thereupon be public records
  available to public inspection.