Why dismissal alone is not enough online
Courts mark a case dismissed, but Trellis may still display the original complaint language from the filing date. Search engines cached that text when the case was open and may keep serving it.
Employers running quick name searches in the USA often stop at the first result. They never see the dismissal line buried on page four of a docket PDF.
Updating the record at the source
Confirm the clerk's site shows the current disposition before you contact Trellis. Matching official data makes correction requests harder to ignore.
Some counties expunge or restrict records after dismissal. If you qualify, get that order first. It gives you a stronger privacy argument than asking nicely for a delete.
Cleaning up search after the docket fixes
Once Trellis reflects dismissal or removes the profile, request recrawl and removal in Google Search Console and via legal removal tools where eligible. Old snippets can linger for weeks if nobody asks.
Our Trellis Law Removal workflow ties docket updates to de-indexing so you are not chasing ghosts. Book a free consultation if the case still ranks six months after dismissal.