1

STATE OF MINNESOTA

IN SUPREME COURT

ADM04-8001

ADM09-8009

ORDER ADOPTING AMENDMENTS TO THE MINNESOTA

GENERAL RULES OF PRACTICE RELATED TO SUBMISSION OF

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

The eCourt Steering Committee has recommended amendments to the

Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure and the General Rules of Practice for the District

Courts related to the submission of confidential information in pleadings or other

documents filed with the district courts. By order filed March 28, 2014, this court 

solicited comments on the proposals. The court has reviewed the proposed 

amendments and the comments and is fully advised in the premises.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:

1. The attached amendments to the General Rules of Practice for the District 

Courts be and the same are hereby adopted effective July 1, 2014, and shall apply to all 

actions or proceedings pending on the effective date and those filed thereafter.

2. The Advisory Committee on the General Rules of Practice shall review the 

May 30, 2014, comments submitted by the Hon. Frank Connolly, chair of the Advisory 

Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure, and consider adding an admonition and 

commentary to Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 11 regarding confidential and sensitive information in 

court filings. The Advisory Committee on the General Rules of Practice is directed to report 

June 25, 2014
2

to the court, with any proposed comments or other matter in response to Judge Connolly’s 

comment, by December 31, 2014.

3. The Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure shall consider the 

eCourt Steering Committee’s proposed amendments to Minn. R. Civ. P. 5 that were attached 

to the March 28, 2014, order of this Court, and the comments submitted in response thereto, 

and shall report to this court on any recommended amendments to the rules by December 31, 

2014.

4. To the extent possible, the advisory committees on the Rules of Civil Procedure 

and the General Rules of Practice shall keep each other apprised of their efforts relating to 

Minn. R. Civ. P. 5 and Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 11.

Dated: June 25, 2014

BY THE COURT:

 /s/ 

Lorie S. Gildea

Chief Justice
1

Minnesota General Rules of Practice for the District Courts

TITLE I. RULES APPLICABLE TO ALL COURT PROCEEDINGS

RULE 11. Submission of Confidential Information

Rule 11.01 Definitions

The following definitions apply for the purposes of this rule:

(a) “Restricted identifiers” shall mean the following numbers of a party or

other person: complete or partial social security number, complete or partial employer

identification number, and financial account numbers other than the last four numbers of a

financial account number that is not also a social security number of a party or other person.

(b) “Financial source documents” means income tax returns, W-2 forms and

schedules, wage stubs, credit card statements, financial institution statements, check

registers, and other financial information deemed financial source documents by court

order.

Rule 11.02 Restricted Identifiers

(a) Pleadings and Other Documents Submitted by a Party. No party shall submit

restricted identifiers on any pleading or other document that is to be filed with the court

except:

(1) on a separate form entitled Confidential Information Form (see Form

11.1 as published by the state court administrator) filed with the

pleading or other document; or

(2) on Confidential Sealed Financial Source Documents under Rule 11.03.

The parties are solely responsible for ensuring that restricted identifiers do not

otherwise appear on the pleading or other document filed with the court. The court 

administrator will not review each pleading or document filed by a party for compliance

with this rule. The Confidential Information Form (Form 11.1) shall not be accessible to

the public.

(b) Records Generated by the Court. Restricted identifiers maintained by the court

in its register of actions (i.e., activity summary or similar information that lists the title,

origination, activities, proceedings and filings in each case), calendars, indexes, and

judgment docket shall not be accessible to the public. Courts shall not include restricted
2

identifiers on judgments, orders, decisions, and notices except on the Confidential

Information Form (Form 11.1),which shall not be accessible to the public.

Rule 11.03 SealingConfidential Financial SourceDocuments

Financial source documents shall be submitted to the court under a cover sheet

designated “Confidential Sealed Financial Source Documents” and substantially in the

form set forth as Form 11.2 as published by the state court administrator. Financial

source documents submitted with the required cover sheet are not accessible to the

public except to the extent that they are admitted into evidence in a testimonial hearing or

trial or as provided in Rule 11.05 of these rules. The cover sheet or copy of it shall

be accessible to the public. Statements from a permanently closed (also known as

“charged off”) credit card or financial institution account that has been identified as a 

closed account in the related pleading need not be submitted as a confidential

financial source document underrule 11.03 of these rules unless desired by the filing

party or as directed by the court. Financial source documents that are not submitted

with the required cover sheet and that contain restricted identifiers are accessible to the

public, but the court may, upon motion or on its own initiative, order that any such

financial source document be confidentialsealed.

* * * *

Rule 11.05 Procedure for Requesting Access to Sealed Confidential Financial

Source Documents

(a) Motion. Any person may file a motion, supported by affidavit showing

good cause, for access to Confidential Sealed Financial Source Documents or portions of

the documents. Written notice of the motion shall be required.

(b) Waiver of Notice. If the person seeking access cannot locate a party to

provide the notice required under this rule, after making a good faith reasonable effort to

provide such notice as required by applicable court rules, an affidavit may be filed with

the court setting forth the efforts to locate the party and requesting waiver of the notice

provisions of this rule. The court may waive the notice requirement of this rule if the

court finds that further good faith efforts to locate the party are unlikely to be

successful.

(c) Balancing Test. The court shall allow access to Confidential Sealed

Financial Source Documents, or relevant portions of the documents, if the court finds that 

the public interest in granting access or the personal interest of the person seeking access 

outweighs the privacy interests of the parties or dependent children. In granting access the 

court may impose conditions necessary to balance the interests consistent with this rule

court.