CLEVELAND — Cleveland Municipal Court is back open after a cyber attack forced a multi-week shutdown.
Administrators issued the following statement:
The Cleveland Municipal Court will reopen to the public on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. All cases previously scheduled for that day, in the General Division, will be heard.
Court operations with the exception of the jail docket were suspended on February 23, 2025, following the cybersecurity incident the Court previously disclosed. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Due to the closure of the Cleveland Municipal Court, all criminal and civil cases that were set for hearings between February 24, 2025 and March 11, 2025 will be rescheduled no less than 30 days after the Court reopens. Notices will be sent by the Clerk of Court to all parties involved.
Details have been limited about the incident itself, but court visitors said it’s caused a frustrating delay.
“I thought it was going to be like a one day or two day thing. We had to wait like a month,” said Trevionn Carrington.
He had been calling and visiting the Municipal Court for several weeks to get bail money back. Wednesday, he was greeted with a long line of other visitors hoping to settle business on the first day the court was reopened.
“It was just the inconvenience,” he said. “I feel like there should’ve been something like a backup.”
Most operations have been suspended since Feb. 23 when the court discovered it was the victim of a cyber attack.
RELATED: Cyber threat shuts down Cleveland Municipal Court for second day
Only arraignments for people in jail have been going forward since then. On Wednesday, the regular docket resumed and the clerk’s office was once again processing cases.
It was a relief for some who’ve been waiting to settle business with the courts.
“It’s just the only thing I think about at night and when I wake up I’m like, ‘Oh man I’ve got to get this settled,” said Randy Garcia, who was in court Wednesday to pay a speeding ticket.
“To be delayed could compromise people’s lives and their freedom. Any court business is very important. So hopefully this doesn’t happen again.”
Tiscisia Cole added, “To be delayed could compromise people’s lives and their freedom. Any court business is very important. So hopefully this doesn’t happen again.”
Court administrators have declined to share many details about the cyber incident, including who attacked, what demands they had and whether any information was compromised.
The News 5 team confirmed the state’s cyber response force had been helping mitigate the situation and wrapped up its work within a week.
Cyber security experts previously told reporters the response and scheduled reopening of the court were positive signs.
RELATED: Cleveland courts hit by hackers to reopen Wednesday after 3-week shutdown
Administrators said the regular docket at Municipal Court resumed Wednesday and any hearings that had been delayed during the two-week shutdown would be rescheduled within the next 30 days. They said all parties would receive notices informing them of rescheduled court dates.
It’s unclear if the court has made any changes to make its system more secure. Some visitors said they hope more contingencies can help prevent future disruptions.
“I feel like in the future they should have a backup in case stuff like this happens,” Carrington said.
