Dallas Divorce Lawyer Blog
You may be entitled to an expunction if you arrested but never tried in court either because you were never formally charged (this is called a no-bill) or the case was dismissed before trial. In those situations, you are entitled to an expunction if a) you are released without there being a final conviction or court-ordered supervision (aka deferred adjudication), and b) the statute of limitations has expired, the case was dismissed for a specific reason or a waiting period has passed.
The first requirement is fairly simple to understand. You can’t be found guilty, plead guilty, or take deferred adjudication and later be eligible for expunction. The only exception to that is that you can take deferred adjudication for Class C misdemeanors (typically traffic offenses) and be eligible for an expunction.
The second requirement is a bit more complicated. Well, parts of it are. The simple part is if the statute of limitations has expired. If you meet the first requirement and you can no longer be prosecuted for the offense because the statute of limitations has run, you are entitled to an expunction. That’s cut and dry. If you’re wondering if the statute of limitations has run, call our office to set up a consultation to see if you’re eligible for an expunction.