Deferred Judgement help

Does anyone have any experience with getting a deferred judgement off their record when it comes to employment searches? It's not on Iowa Courts Online, but shows on third-party background checks (this for getting rolled up in a sting before I knew any better).

Not sure if you can or not, but was hoping someone might have some insight or experience on this.

If you can erase it, please explain how, if you can't, how have employers treated it when hiring?

Thanks in advance!
Does anyone have any experience with getting a deferred judgement off their record when it comes to employment searches? It's not on Iowa Courts Online, but shows on third-party background checks (this for getting rolled up in a sting before I knew any better).

Not sure if you can or not, but was hoping someone might have some insight or experience on this.

If you can erase it, please explain how, if you can't, how have employers treated it when hiring?

Thanks in advance! Originally Posted by tac0010
Answer all application questions honestly and you will be ok most times. Many employers use a third party to do searches and will only report back on what is being asked.

For instance, an application may ask if you've been convicted of a felony. You say no. Even if your misdemeanor arrest and/or conviction shows up, the third party background investigator will report back that no felony convictions are found.

That doesn't mean that a nosy person may not look you up and find out, but it's not necessarily standard protocol. Then, it's just up to the individual person or company as to whether they will hold it against you.

That said, you can contact each website and inquire as too their policy about removal. Some may do it, others may never even respond.

There's no set answer...but don't let your mistake define you. Also, I suggest rehearsing an answer to explain yourself if asked.
Irish14's Avatar
Does anyone have any experience with getting a deferred judgement off their record when it comes to employment searches? It's not on Iowa Courts Online, but shows on third-party background checks (this for getting rolled up in a sting before I knew any better).

Not sure if you can or not, but was hoping someone might have some insight or experience on this.

If you can erase it, please explain how, if you can't, how have employers treated it when hiring?

Thanks in advance! Originally Posted by tac0010
TAC... While I'm not an attorney, I don't believe there is anyway to truly get a deferred sentence off your record. There will always be somewhere, someone can obtain the information. As someone that does spend a considerable amount of time hiring for a major company, I will reiterate exactly what LilMynx said...

1) Don't EVER lie on an application. This may have been able to work in the past, but not with the resources and technology available today. I have personally turned away many people because of this alone. The thought process is if they lie on an application, what's going to stop them from lying once they're hired? Nothing... Plus, you don't want an employee who A) Can't answer simple questions correctly (The #1 excuse when we confront them) and B) Has an integrity issue.

2) I can only speak for my company but deferred sentences, if the deferment has been satisfied by the court's standards, are not even taken into consideration in the pre-interview/ hiring process. Most companies are pretty empathetic as everyone has a history. Some of the best people I have working for me have a "rocky" past as do I myself! Quite frankly, I tend to trust (I use that term loosely) someone who has had to deal with mistakes they've made vs. people with immaculate backgrounds.

To get a deferred sentence off of your record, my suggestion would be to do some research and reach out to an attorney or even the Prosecutors' office. Good luck to ya TAC... I've been in your shoes bro and it didn't stop me from getting the job I wanted!!! Just don't follow Hobby protocol and lie!
lycurgus's Avatar
It is the policy of most large companies and almost all governments at every level not to consider deferred prosecutions or judgments in hiring decisions.
It is the policy of most large companies and almost all governments at every level not to consider deferred prosecutions or judgments in hiring decisions. Originally Posted by lycurgus
I didn't understand your comment. Do you mean they don't pay attention to deferred adjudications or they will not consider someone with a deferred adjudication?
By the way, you might want to post in the National Legal forum...
lycurgus's Avatar
It means they do not take them into consideration when making hiring decisions. They base hiring decisions on other criteria.