The "Scarlet E'': Effects of Public Eviction Records on Low-Income Households

• In Event: Before, During, and After: Lessons from State and Local Eviction Prevention Policies

Abstract

Housing advocates, media outlets, and policymakers have long argued that a public eviction filing record—often referred to as the “Scarlet E”—carries significant consequences, particularly for low-income households. Despite the attention given to this issue, we lack causal evidence on the impact of a public eviction filing record on individual outcomes. In this paper, we aim to provide the first causal estimates of the effect of a public eviction filing record. To do so, we leverage an Illinois policy that mandated all eviction cases be filed under seal between March 2020 and March 2022. Upon the expiration of the sealing policy on April 1, 2022, all new eviction filings were public record while previously filed cases remained sealed. Leveraging this policy end date, we adopt a difference-in-difference approach and a regression discontinuity design to compare the post-filing outcomes of tenants with sealed and public eviction cases in Cook County, Illinois. We first document that filing eviction cases immediately under seal effectively prevents tenant screening companies from accessing information about eviction cases and tenants, but retroactive record sealing is ineffective in restricting public access. We then link case information to address histories and credit files to estimate the effects of public records on residential mobility, neighborhood conditions, and financial health. The results of this study will inform policy decisions on record-sealing laws in jurisdictions across the country.

Authors

• John Eric Humphries, Yale University
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Hsi-Ling Liao, The University of Chicago
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Alison Lodermeier, The University of Chicago
  Presenting Author

• Grace Ortuzar, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Winnie Lillian van Dijk, The University of Chicago
  Non-Presenting Co-Author