Wallace v. Beaver

Justice BURNETT:

In this appeal, we are asked to decide (1) whether an order unsealing a court record is immediately appealable and (2) whether the family court judge properly unsealed the record of a divorce proceeding in a limited manner at the request of a litigant in an unrelated civil action who is seeking information about the financial affairs of one of the divorce litigants.

In April 2002 the record of the divorce proceeding between Michelle W. Beaver and Rhett A. Beaver was sealed with the consent of the parties. A month later, Rhett Beaver (Beaver) pled guilty to an indictment…