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N.Y. DOM Law § 254

This is the official text of N.Y. DOM Law § 254, part of New York’s Domestic Relations Law — governs marriage, divorce, child custody and support, and adoption.

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Confidentiality

Official statutory text

§ 254. Confidentiality. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of\nlaw, in any proceeding for custody, divorce, separation or annulment,\nwhether or not an order of protection or temporary order of protection\nis sought or has been sought in the past, the court may, upon its own\nmotion or upon the motion of any party or the attorney for the child,\nauthorize any party or the child to keep his or her address confidential\nfrom any adverse party or the child, as appropriate, in any pleadings or\nother papers submitted to the court, where the court finds that the\ndisclosure of the address or other identifying information would pose an\nunreasonable risk to the health or safety of a party or the child.\nPending such a finding, any address or other identifying information of\nthe child or party seeking confidentiality shall be safeguarded and\nsealed in order to prevent its inadvertent or unauthorized use or\ndisclosure.\n 2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a party or a child\nhas resided or resides in a residential program for victims of domestic\nviolence as defined in section four hundred fifty-nine-a of the social\nservices law, the present address of the party and the child and the\naddress of the residential program for victims of domestic violence\nshall not be revealed.\n 3. Upon authorization as provided in subdivision one of this section,\nthe identifying information shall be sealed and shall not be disclosed\nin any pleading or other document filed in a proceeding under this\narticle. The court shall designate the clerk of the court or such other\ndisinterested person as it deems appropriate, with consent of such\ndisinterested person, as the agent for service of process for the party\nwhose address is to remain confidential and shall notify the adverse\nparty of such designation in writing. The clerk or disinterested person\ndesignated by the court shall, when served with process or other papers\non behalf of the party whose address is to remain confidential, promptly\nnotify such party whose address is to remain confidential and forward\nsuch process or papers to him or her.\n 4. In any case in which such a confidentiality authorization is made,\nthe party whose address is to remain confidential shall inform the clerk\nof the court or disinterested person designated by the court of any\nchange in address for purposes of receipt of service or process or any\npapers.\n

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