Mo. R. Civ. P. 55.025. — Redaction Requirements

(a) Redaction of Confidential Information. Unless otherwise ordered by the court, any counsel, party, or other person offering any filing that is not a confidential record, as defined in Court Operating Rule 4.24(a), shall redact confidential information, as defined in Court Operating Rule 4.24(b), in the filing. If the filing is a confidential record that will later become public automatically by operation of law or court rule, the filer shall redact confidential information in it. Except for other information that is sealed, expunged, or closed by statute or Supreme Court rule, no other redactions shall be allowed, except by leave of the court for good cause shown.

(b) Responsibility for Redaction. For all filings in any court, the responsibility for redacting confidential information rests solely with the counsel, parties, or any other person offering the filing. Courts will not review each filing to ensure compliance and cannot refuse to accept a filing on that basis.

(c) Manner of Redaction. All redactions shall be done in a manner that makes it clear that information has been redacted. If it is necessary to reference the redacted information in a redacted filing, filers shall use generic descriptors.

When a filer redacts information from a filing offered in any court, the filer also must contemporaneously file either:

(1) a confidential unredacted version of the filing; or

(2) a confidential redacted information filing sheet that sets out the information redacted from the filing with an explanation as to where the information was redacted in the filing or the generic descriptors used in the filing to reference the redacted information.

(d) Compliance Certification. When offering a filing, all filers shall affirmatively certify compliance with the redaction requirements in Rules 19.10, 55.025, and 84.015. This certification shall be accomplished through an automated process implemented in the electronic filing system for its authorized users or, for filers who are not authorized users of the electronic filing system, by a paper form attached to the filing or on the filing itself.

(e) Motion to Correct Redaction. Any party, or the court on its own motion, may move to correct improperly redacted filings with the court. The court shall dispose of such motion within 30 days. If the court determines the filer acted in bad faith by failing to redact confidential information or by redacting information that is not otherwise confidential without leave of the court, the court may impose appropriate sanctions to remedy such conduct. When a motion is filed alleging a filing is improperly redacted, the clerk shall make the filing inaccessible to the public in the manner provided in the statewide court automation system. If the court determines the filing is properly redacted, the clerk shall make the filing available once again for public access.

(f) Exceptions. Judges and judicial court staff shall not be required to certify compliance with the redaction requirements or file confidential redacted information filing sheets.

(g) Transcripts of Open Court Proceedings. Any transcript of an open court proceeding offered for filing in any court is not subject to the redaction requirements. After a transcript of an open court proceeding has been filed, any party may move using the procedures set out in subdivision (e) of this Rule to redact from the transcript otherwise confidential information as identified in Court Operating Rule 4.24(b). If the court sustains the motion, the movant must file a redacted transcript, and the unredacted transcript will remain inaccessible to the public in the manner provided in the statewide court automation system.