ABOUT / methodology
Methodology
How CIPA Record decides what belongs in the ledger, how it labels claims and outcomes, and how it avoids turning name matches or commentary into fact.
Editorial standard
CIPA Record is an evidence-first public research project. It exists to make a legal record auditable — not to campaign against, threaten, identify, contact, or harass any person or business.
| Class | Meaning | What it can support |
|---|---|---|
| A | Official or court-filed public record | Statutory text, filed-event identity, and court rulings only when the order says so. |
| B | Public docket mirror or index | Docketed procedural events and document titles. |
| C | Clearly attributed reporting | A source’s report or characterization, never an unqualified finding. |
Inclusion rules
A matter may enter the cross-referenced inventory when a direct public docket, a court-filed exhibit, or a public source identifies both a court and a case number. It becomes a probable matter when the docket is known but the operative claim has not been independently reviewed. State-court identifiers referenced only through a federal exhibit are held in their own category.
A search-result snippet, social-media post, anonymous tip, a shared name, or a law-firm marketing claim alone is never enough to state a personal fact.
Outcome language
The verbs on this site are deliberately narrow:
- alleges / seeks / argues: a party’s filing;
- reports / says: a commentator’s statement;
- docket records: a listed procedural event;
- court held / ordered: only when a judicial order or opinion supports the statement.
A voluntary dismissal does not prove a settlement. An arbitration report does not become a published award. A demand does not establish a violation.
Balance and gaps
The accessible public record is disproportionately made up of defense-side litigation filings and law-firm alerts. The release does not treat that source imbalance as a fact about the underlying merits. It identifies the gap, dates every entry, and will add a publicly sourced response or contrary ruling if one appears.
Privacy and non-harassment boundary
The site intentionally excludes residential addresses, private email addresses, phone numbers, payment instructions, family information, photographs, and any content that could facilitate unwanted contact. It does not solicit tips about a person, targets, or witnesses.