The civil lien may pose a barrier to sealing your record. I have had judges deny my motions for sealing or expungement if the person has not yet paid their court costs. Whether this is legal or not after a probationary term I would have to research. It never went too far as my client just paid the outstanding court costs and it became a non-issue.

However, an argument can be made that if the person has a civil lien it should not be grounds to deny a motion to seal where the person otherwise qualifies. The qualifications do not mandate that all restitution be made, only that the person no longer be under court supervision for the offense. The end of the probationary term ends the court's jurisdiction for the case so it can be said that you are no longer under the court's jurisdication.Therefore, merely having a civil lien under the record sealing statute should not be a barrier to sealing the case. Though the judge has discretion as to whether or not to grant the petition to seal, he may not abuse his discretion in arriving at a decision. It's a close call, but I think a judge should grant it.

Nicolas
SealMyRecord.com