Under the DPPA, personal information contained in a motor vehicle record may be disclosed for
use by any government agency, including any court or law enforcement agency, in carrying out its functions, or
to any private person or entity acting on behalf of a Federal, State, or local agency; and
for use in connection with any civil, criminal, administrative, or arbitral proceeding in any Federal, State, or local court or agency or before any self-regulatory body, or pursuant to a Federal, State, or local court
In my New Jersey Private Investigator firm https://cowaninvestigations.com/hire-local/, I will most often justify accessing driver data for purposes of litigation. Most of my investigations are marital and divorce, in which case I would be checking the box indicating Civil Case before a state court. When I conduct a background investigation it is often done in order to investigate a divorce-related issue such as alimony and cohabitation https://cowaninvestigations.com/new-jersey-alimony-investigation-1/ or child custody. to be crystal clear, directly below I have copy and pasted the language as it appears in the DPPA, 18 U.S. Code 2721. (Prohibition on release and use of certain personal information from state motor vehicle records).
(4) For use in connection with any civil, criminal, administrative, or arbitral proceeding in any Federal, State, or local court or agency or before any self-regulatory body, including the service of process, investigation in anticipation of litigation, and the execution of enforcements of judgements and orders, or pursuant to an order of a federal, state, or local court.