Legal Definitions - erase

In legal terms, to erase means to remove, obliterate, or make inaccessible information or records. This can involve physically altering documents, digitally deleting data, or, in a specific legal sense, formally sealing or expunging official records to prevent their public disclosure.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of "erase":

• Imagine a witness in a civil lawsuit who, before submitting a crucial document to the court, attempts to erase certain dates and names from it using an opaque correction fluid. This action is an attempt to physically obliterate specific written information, potentially to mislead the court or conceal relevant facts.

  This example demonstrates "erase" as the physical removal or obliteration of written content, often with the intent to alter evidence.

• During an investigation into a company's data breach, the lead suspect uses specialized software to permanently erase all communication logs and project files from their work computer. Their goal is to destroy digital evidence that could link them to the unauthorized access and data theft.

  Here, "erase" refers to the digital obliteration of recorded material, making it unrecoverable and preventing its use as evidence in a legal proceeding.

• A young adult, after successfully completing a court-ordered rehabilitation program for a minor offense committed years ago, petitions the court to erase their criminal record. If the petition is granted, the court will order the record to be sealed or expunged, meaning it will no longer be publicly accessible and will not appear on most background checks.

  This illustrates the specific legal application of "erase," where official criminal records are formally sealed or expunged by judicial order, effectively removing them from public disclosure and limiting their accessibility.