The client had a misdemeanor case that was dismissed, but the arrest and the court record still showed up on background checks. Future First filed a Paradise Valley Sealing Records application under ARS § 13-911 and the court sealed the record.
At a glance
| Original conviction | None. A misdemeanor assault charge that was dismissed |
| Application filed | Sealing Records application under ARS § 13-911 |
| Court | Paradise Valley Municipal Court |
| Result | Sealing Record Granted. Arrest and case records sealed |
| Rights restored | Not applicable. No conviction, so no rights were lost |
| Time from application to grant | 363 days from application filing to granted |
The challenge
The client was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor in Paradise Valley. The prosecutor dismissed the case, so there was never a conviction. That should have been the end of it. It was not. A dismissed case still leaves an arrest record and a court record behind, and both still appear on background checks run by employers, landlords, and licensing boards.
A dismissal explains the legal outcome, but a background check rarely tells the full story. The client kept running into a record for a case that ended in their favor, and they had to explain an arrest that never became a conviction. That is the exact gap that ARS § 13-911 was written to close.
What we did
Future First filed a Petition to Seal Criminal Case Records under ARS § 13-911 in Paradise Valley Municipal Court. The petition documented the dismissal, confirmed the client met every statutory requirement, and asked the court to seal the arrest record and all records tied to the case. The State weighed in and the firm filed a written reply that answered the State’s position and held the eligibility argument together.
The court granted the application and ordered the arrest record and the case records sealed and transmitted to the Department of Public Safety and the prosecutor. The dismissed case no longer surfaces on a standard background check. The client can answer questions about their record honestly and move forward without a closed case following them.
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If you have an old case in Arizona
Arizona law changed the game for record removal. Under ARS § 13-911, you can ask a court to seal case records, including arrest records, for cases that were dismissed, ended in a not guilty verdict, or resulted in a conviction once the waiting period and conditions are met. A dismissed case is one of the strongest candidates for sealing because there was never a conviction.
Sealing is not automatic. You file a petition in the right court, you show you meet the statutory requirements, and you respond if the prosecutor objects. The timeline depends on the court and on whether the State responds, so the work is in filing it correctly and pushing it through. Once granted, the sealing is permanent and the record drops off standard background checks.
Related resources
Call us
Want to clear your record in Arizona? Call Future First Criminal Law at 602-900-6240 or request a free consultation. We have handled hundreds of Arizona record removal applications across every statute path. The cleanup is permanent and the process moves faster when handled by a firm that knows the local court.
Anonymized in line with firm policy. Client name not used. Specific dates approximated to year only. Outcome described reflects this client’s actual results. Past outcomes do not guarantee future results. For more detailed information on Arizona record removal law, visit the Arizona State Legislature website.
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