Sullivan County
Nestled in the Catskill Mountains of New York, Sullivan County was named in honor of Major General John Sullivan, a Revolutionary War hero. About 79,000 people live in the county, with Monticello as its county seat. The majority racial composition consists of white citizens and African Americans.
The Sullivan Supreme Court has general jurisdiction over criminal and civil matters; however, it acts primarily as a court of civil jurisdiction. It handles civil matters beyond the monetary limits of other courts, divorce cases, equity suits, and annulment proceedings. Conversely, the prosecution of all crimes committed within Sullivan County is addressed by the County Court. This court has limited civil jurisdiction, typically addressing civil claims up to $25,000 and foreclosures.
The primary functions of the Sullivan Surrogate's Court are to protect the rights of vulnerable individuals and settle the legal affairs of deceased individuals. This court oversees the administration of the estate, validation of a deceased person's will, and appointment of guardians for incapacitated persons and minors. The Family Court specializes in handling cases involving families and children, such as adoption, child custody, domestic violence, paternity, and spousal support.
The Town and Village Courts in Sullivan County preside over a wide range of criminal and civil matters at the local level. These courts resolve small claims disputes, landlord-tenant disputes, misdemeanors, and traffic violation cases.
As a Sullivan County resident, you have the right to inspect many documents or records filed in the county courts. Usually, court records are maintained by the individual courts where the case was heard; however, most legal documents are archived in the Office of the County Clerk. While submitting your request for court records to the County Clerk, provide sufficient information and ensure that your request conforms to the court's indexing and record retrieval system.
Furthermore, you can save on costs by visiting the County Clerk's Office during regular business hours to carry out your case search personally. The office provides a public photocopier that you can use to make copies of your court records at a lower per-page cost.
Publicly available court records in Sullivan County can also be accessed online through the eCourts portal. You can look up free case information related to civil and criminal cases heard in the Supreme and County Courts, and family cases open to the public. Records from Sullivan Surrogate's Court are available to the public through the WebSurrogate resource.
