South Florida Courts Conducted Secret Divorce Hearings

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More than 100 civil cases have been handled by the circuit courts in Broward County, Florida in secret since 2001, kept off the court docket with all records subsequently sealed. Two involve divorces of judges on the court; another the divorce of another prominent public figure. The Miami Herald obtained the list of the files after suing for their release. However, it got only the list; the files themselves remain sealed. Said the paper, “The use of a secret docket … goes against the basic tenet that courts should be open to the public. But the high-profile names on the docket further raise the question of whether some people get special treatment.” (6/13/06