Resident tells committee Zoom hearings are not preserving court records; commissioners recommend follow-up with courts

A member of the public told the liaison committee she believes Zoom hearings are not preserving court records and accused court staff of altering hearing materials.

Margaret Gupta of Oakland Township said she has multiple Zoom hearing records that she believes were corrupted and told the committee the county’s role in providing IT and email for courts enables ‘‘electronic manipulation of data.’’ Gupta also said she had raised the issue previously and expressed frustration at a perceived lack of response.

Commissioners said the subject may be more appropriate for the public health and safety committee or for a direct conversation with the court administrator. One commissioner advised that if a person believes a crime has occurred, they should file a police report with the sheriff’s office. The committee agreed it would consider inviting the court administrator or a court official to provide an overview of how remote hearings are preserved and transcribed.

The county staff noted that the state court administrator’s office and the Michigan Supreme Court have encouraged courts to use remote platforms for hearings but the committee did not take further action at this meeting.

Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to consider inviting the court administrator to explain remote-hearing preservation and transcription processes at a future meeting.