In December of 2017, the accessibility of the expunction process had been drastically improved by Senate Bill 445, and now we are looking at even more changes to become effective December 1, 2020 lifting previous requirements, and allowing for a second chance in even more scenarios.  Below are a few examples of the revisions to the expunctions laws applicable to offenses committed by persons age 18 or older:

1. In addition to felonies and misdemeanors, infractions will be eligible for expunction from a person’s official records as long as the charges were dismissed or for which a finding of not guilty was entered.  Also, it will no longer be required that the person had not previously been convicted of a felony.
2. Dismissals or findings of not guilty of felonies, misdemeanors, or infractions on or after December 1, 2021, will be expunged by operation of law, not requiring a petition.
3. More than one conviction of non-violent misdemeanors can be expunged after a seven-year waiting period.

The team at Collins Law Firm has been handling scores of expunctions for over 20 years in New Hanover County, Pender County, and Brunswick County.  If you are interested in having your record expunged, please give our office a call at (910) 793-9000 for a confidential consultation to discuss your eligibility.

PS.: On June 25, 2020, Governor Roy Cooper signed Senate Bill 562.

By Jana H. Collins

This entry was posted on Monday, June 15th, 2020 at 6:43 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.