Originally Posted by
stevetcg
Here is a situation.
Parents of 2 kids divorce and mother is awarded primary physical and joint legal. Father agrees to allow mother to move out of state with the children. Father is paying child support and is current.
If the father chooses to move to the same state as the mother did to exercise his visitation, does jurisdiction change to the new state automatically?
The issue is that the new state of residence allows for more child support than the original state. Can the mother refile in the new state for modification?
Make sense?
Note: this is a hypothetical based on a conversation that my fiancee and I had based on a discussion thread on one of her favorite sites. No actual people are involved in this situation. Any additional factors can be made up for the hypothetical.
The answer to both of your questions is yes. I think that Califdadof3 is technically correct in saying that the state issuing the original custody order has jurisdiction until that order is modified; yes, that is so. But I think this is really a technicality. The state to which the father moved would obviously be able to immediately modify the existing orders without the issuing state having anything to say about it.
The answer to the question about support modification, as with custody modification is, as I said, yes. And yes, the state to which the father moved would apply its own guideline and could issue new and different support orders. Here's California's statute, which is the same statute every state has (it's the UIFSA):
Family Code Section 4962
(a) If all of the parties who are individuals reside in this
State and the child does not reside in the issuing state, a tribunal
Of this state has jurisdiction to enforce and to modify the issuing
State's child support order in a proceeding to register that order.
(b) A tribunal of this state exercising jurisdiction under this
Section shall apply the provisions of Articles 1 (commencing with
Section 4900) and 2 (commencing with Section 4905), this article, and
The procedural and substantive law of this state to the proceeding
For enforcement or modification. Articles 3 (commencing with Section
4915) to 5 (commencing with Section 4940), inclusive, and Articles 7
(commencing with Section 4965) and 8 (commencing with Section 4970)
Do not apply.