Complaint Content Policy

1. What the docket is

The Vitreo public docket is a structured record of complaints filed by members of the public concerning the professional conduct of attorneys and judicial officials, together with any response filed by the person named. Vitreo is a publisher of third-party complaints and responses. It is not a court, a bar authority, or a judicial-conduct commission, it does not investigate, and it makes no finding that any allegation is true.

2. Who may be named

A complaint may name an attorney admitted to practice in any United States jurisdiction, or a judicial official (a judge, magistrate, referee, hearing officer, or similar) acting in that capacity. Complaints concern conduct in that professional or official role. A complainant may also refer to other cases in which the attorney or judicial official has been a party, including criminal, civil, and disciplinary cases, where the public record of those cases bears on the conduct complained of or on the person's fitness for the role. Vitreo does not publish complaints about private individuals, court staff, or parties to a case who are not attorneys or judicial officials.

3. The evidence requirement

Every numbered allegation must cite at least one exhibit on file. An exhibit is a document, recording, or other record that the complainant attests is authentic and states the source of. An exhibit may be a file uploaded to the docket or a link to a document published elsewhere, such as an entry on a court's docket, a published decision, a disciplinary ruling, or a public filing in another case. Exhibits receive a letter and a SHA-256 checksum when docketed (of the file, or of the web address for a linked document) so readers can verify them. A complaint whose allegations are not each tied to an exhibit cannot be submitted. Complainants are encouraged to cite exhibits by letter wherever the statement of facts or an allegation relies on them; it is always helpful to link the exhibits you refer to, and on the docket those references become links to the exhibit itself.

4. What will not be published

• Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, or other identifiers not essential to the allegation.
• Medical, psychological, or substance-related information about any person, unless it is already part of a public court record and is essential to the allegation.
• Information identifying a minor, or material from juvenile, family, or other proceedings that is sealed, confidential, or restricted by law or court order.
• Allegations about a respondent's private life unrelated to professional or official conduct. The public record of a criminal, civil, or disciplinary case in which the respondent was a party is not private life for this purpose and may be cited.
• Content that is threatening, harassing, or that advocates harm.
• Allegations the complainant cannot support with any exhibit, or that the editor concludes the cited exhibit does not tend to support.
• Content Vitreo has reason to believe was fabricated or altered.

5. The publication gate

Nothing is public until it passes two checks. First, automated checks confirm that the respondent is identified, the statement of facts and allegations are complete, every allegation cites an exhibit, the complainant has attested to the filing, and no obvious sensitive-content patterns are present. Second, an editor reviews the complaint and the exhibits, assigns a risk tier (low, medium, or high), and either approves it for publication, returns it with instructions, or declines to publish it. High-tier cases require a second editor. Editors do not revise a complainant's allegations; they may only approve, return, or decline.

6. Vitreo's role in developing complaints

Vitreo's guided intake helps a complainant state their own account clearly, organize their own evidence, and meet the requirements of this policy. Vitreo does not draft complaints and does not offer paid assistance in drafting them. The only assistance Vitreo provides is technical: linking and formatting documents, docketing exhibits, and operating the publishing platform. Vitreo does not supply facts, add allegations, or characterize unproven claims as established, and every assistance action is logged.

Vitreo is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Nothing on this site, in the guided intake, or in any communication from Vitreo is legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is formed with Vitreo. Publishing a complaint has legal consequences for the complainant as well as the respondent. Vitreo recommends that every complainant review the complete complaint and its exhibits with their own counsel, and decide with that counsel whether to publish it, before filing. Technical assistance never affects whether a complaint is published, how it is assessed, or the respondent's rights.

7. Notice and the right to respond

When a complaint is published, Vitreo attempts to notify the respondent and records on the docket how and when notice was given. Every respondent has a permanent, free right to respond on the same docket, allegation by allegation, with a narrative and their own exhibits. Responses are published with the same prominence as the complaint. Vitreo verifies a respondent's identity before accepting a response to prevent impersonation. The reply channel never closes, and responding is never conditioned on payment.

8. Advisory assessments

Vitreo may issue an advisory assessment of a complaint's completeness, specificity, and reference to a conduct standard. Assessments are tools to help complainants improve a filing and editors apply the gate consistently. They are not findings of fact, are labeled as advisory, and record the method used so they can be reproduced. During the pilot, assessments are shown to the complainant and editors and are not published on the public docket.

9. The record is append-only

Once filed, a complaint, response, or exhibit is not edited in place. Corrections, clarifications, withdrawals, and new developments are filed as supplements and become new docket entries. This preserves the integrity of the record for everyone, including respondents.

10. Requests for correction, redaction, or removal

Anyone may request review of a published case by writing to contact and citing the case number. Vitreo will acknowledge the request within 5 business days and will act within 15 business days where a request is well founded, including by redacting material covered by section 4, sealing exhibits that contain restricted records, or sealing a case in whole. A sealed case preserves its docket number and audit trail but its contents are not public. Vitreo honors valid court orders and complies with applicable law, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for claimed copyright infringement in exhibits. A request to remove a complaint because the respondent disputes it is addressed through the right to respond in section 7, not through removal.

11. Complainant obligations

By submitting a complaint, a complainant attests that its statements are true to the best of their knowledge, that the exhibits are authentic and were lawfully obtained, that they have removed non-essential personal identifiers, that they understand the complaint will be public and permanent, and that they accept the terms of service. Complainants who file material in bad faith may have their filings sealed and their accounts closed.

12. Official channels

Vitreo complements, and does not replace, official grievance and judicial-conduct processes. Complainants are encouraged to file with the appropriate bar disciplinary authority or judicial-conduct body as well; the resources page explains how.