1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to courts; allowing for expungement of 
  1.3             certain court records; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.4             2002, section 484.014, subdivision 2. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 484.014, 
  1.7   subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.8      Subd. 2.  [DISCRETIONARY EXPUNGEMENT.] The court may order 
  1.9   expungement of an eviction case court file only upon motion of a 
  1.10  defendant and decision by the court, and only if the court ~~finds~~ 
  1.11  makes written findings:  (1) that the plaintiff's case is 
  1.12  ~~sufficiently~~ without basis in fact or law~~, which may include~~ 
  1.13  ~~lack of jurisdiction over the case,~~; (2) that expungement is 
  1.14  clearly in the interests of justice; and (3) that those 
  1.15  interests are not outweighed by the public's interest in knowing 
  1.16  about the record.  The court shall not hear argument nor take 
  1.17  testimony on the merits of expungement, nor consider any 
  1.18  agreement between the parties to allow expungement, at any time 
  1.19  during the proceeding.