Title 16, Particular Actions, Proceedings and Matters. [Enacted title]

A petitioner has a right to seek relief under this subchapter. This right does not depend on the decision of the Attorney General, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, or a prosecuting attorney in any jurisdiction to initiate or not to initiate a criminal or d…

(a) A petitioner, or a person authorized by this section to act on petitioner’s behalf, may file a petition for civil protection in the Domestic Violence Unit against a respondent who has allegedly committed or threatened to commit one or more criminal offenses against the petiti…

(a) Upon a filing of a petition for civil protection, the Domestic Violence Unit shall set the matter for hearing, consolidating it, where appropriate, with other matters before the court involving members of the same family. (b)(1) If, upon the filing of a petition under oath, a…

(a) Individuals served with notice in accordance with § 16-1004 shall appear at the hearing. (a-1)(1) In a case where the Attorney General files the petition on behalf of a petitioner pursuant to § 16-1003(c), the petitioner is not a required party. (2) In a case where a parent, …

A petitioner may file a petition for protection under this subchapter if: (1) The petitioner resides, lives, works, or attends school in the District of Columbia: (2) The petitioner is under the legal custody of a District government agency; or (3) The underlying offense occurred…

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) “Child” means a person under the age of 16 years of age. (2) “District” means the District of Columbia. (3) “Lawful custodian” means a person who is authorized to have custody by an order of the Superior Court of the District of …

(a) No parent, or any person acting pursuant to directions from the parent, may intentionally conceal a child from the child’s other parent. (b) No relative, or any person acting pursuant to directions from the relative, who knows that another person is the lawful custodian of a …

(a) No person violates this subchapter if the action: (1) Is taken to protect the child from imminent physical harm; (2) Is taken by a parent fleeing from imminent physical harm to the parent; (3) Is consented to by the other parent; or (4) Is otherwise authorized by law. (b) If …

(a) A person who violates any provision of § 16-1022 and who takes the child to a place within the District, or detains or conceals the child within the District of Columbia is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to fine not exceeding $250 or performance of commu…

Prosecutions under this subchapter shall be brought in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in name of the District by the Corporation Counsel.

Any parent convicted in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of violating any provision of this subchapter with respect to his or her child may apply to the court for an order to expunge from all official records all records relating to the conviction at such time that …

(a) A law enforcement officer shall arrest a person if the law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that the person: (1) Committed an intrafamily offense that resulted in physical injury, including physical pain or illness, regardless of whether or not the intrafamil…

Any law enforcement officer who investigates an intrafamily offense shall file a written report of the incident with the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police force (“Police force”), including the law enforcement officer’s disposition of the case. The Police force shall mainta…

A law enforcement officer shall not be civilly liable solely because he or she makes an arrest in good faith and without malice pursuant to this subchapter.

(a) The Police force shall incorporate in its educational program for new law enforcement officers training in: (1) The nature, dimension, and causes of intrafamily offenses; (2) The legal rights and remedies available to a victim or perpetrator of an intrafamily offense; (3) The…

For purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) “District” means the District of Columbia. (2) “Foreign protection order” means a protection order issued by a tribunal of another State. (3) “Issuing State” means the State whose tribunal issues a protection order. (4) “Mutual forei…

(a) A person authorized by the law of the District to seek enforcement of a protection order may seek enforcement of a valid foreign protection order in a tribunal of the District. The tribunal shall enforce the terms of the order, including terms that provide relief that a tribu…

(a) A law enforcement officer, upon determining that there is probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists and that the order has been violated, shall enforce the order as if it were the order of a tribunal of the District. Presentation of a protection o…

(a) The Superior Court of the District of Columbia is authorized, subject to appropriations, to create a registry in the District of Columbia for foreign protection orders and protection orders issued in the District of Columbia. (b) Any individual may register a foreign protecti…

The District and its officers and employees, a law enforcement officer, prosecuting attorney, clerk of court, or any state or local governmental official acting in an official capacity, is immune from civil and criminal liability for conduct arising out of the registration or enf…

A protected individual who pursues remedies under this subchapter is not precluded from pursuing other legal or equitable remedies against the respondent.

In applying and construing this Uniform Act, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among States that enact it.

This subchapter applies to protection orders issued before the effective date of this subchapter and to continuing actions for enforcement of foreign protection orders commenced before the effective date of this subchapter. A request for enforcement of a foreign protection order …

For purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) “Board” means the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board. (2) “District” means the District of Columbia. (3) “Domestic violence fatality” means: (A) A homicide under any of the following circumstances: (i) The alleged perpetrator an…

(a) There is established, as part of the District of Columbia government, a Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board. Facilities and other administrative support may be provided in a specific department or through the Board, as determined by the Mayor. (b) The purpose of the Board…

(a) The Mayor shall appoint one representative from each of the following District agencies: (1) Metropolitan Police Department; (2) Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; (3) Office of the Corporation Counsel; (4) Department of Corrections; (5) Fire and Emergency Medical Services…

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, immediately upon the request of the Board and as necessary to carry out the Board’s purpose and duties, the Board shall be provided, without cost and without authorization of the persons to whom the information or records relate, ac…

(a) When necessary for the discharge of its duties, the Board shall have the authority to issue subpoenas to compel witnesses to appear and testify and to produce books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, documents, or other relevant records. (b) Except as provided in subsection …

(a) Except as provided in this section, information and records obtained or created by the Board are confidential and not subject to civil discovery or to disclosure pursuant to subchapter II of Chapter 5 of Title 2. (b) Information and records presented to the Board for review s…

(a) Any health-care provider or any other person or institution providing information to the Board pursuant to this subchapter shall have immunity from liability, administrative, civil, or criminal, that might otherwise be incurred or imposed with respect to the disclosure of inf…

The Mayor shall issue rules implementing the provisions of this subchapter. The rules shall require that a subordinate agency director to whom a recommendation is directed by the Board shall respond in writing within 30 days of the issuance of the report containing the recommenda…

(a) A civil action based upon a cause of action in ejectment, may be brought against: (1) the person actually occupying the premises claimed, either in person or by tenant; or (2) both the claimant and his tenant, or other occupant claiming under him; or (3) if the premises are n…

If a tenant, on whom a complaint in ejectment is served, fails to give notice thereof, without delay, to his landlord or the agent of the landlord, he shall forfeit and pay to the landlord the value of three years’ full rent of the premises, to be recovered by a civil action.

In his complaint in ejectment, the plaintiff shall: (1) describe the premises claimed with reasonable certainty; and (2) set forth distinctly the nature and quantity of the estate claimed by him in the premises. It is sufficient for the plaintiff to state, in addition, that: (1) …

(a) Except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, in an action of ejectment it is sufficient to entitle the plaintiff to relief to show that he is entitled, as against the defendant, to the immediate possession of the premises claimed, and that the defendant is: (1) in po…

It is not a bar to the plaintiff’s recovery in an action of ejectment that the legal title to the property claimed is outstanding in another as mortgagee or trustee under a mortgage or deed of trust to secure a debt, unless the mortgagee or trustee, or those claiming under him, h…

Where real property has been sold under a written contract executed by the vendor, and there has been such a performance of its terms by the vendee as would entitle him to a decree for a conveyance of the legal title, without condition, the vendor may not recover the property fro…

When it appears on the trial in an action of ejectment that some of the defendants occupy distinct parcels of the property claimed, in severalty, the plaintiff, if entitled to recover, may in the discretion of the court, have several judgments against the respective parties, acco…

The plaintiff, under a claim to certain described premises, may recover less than the whole property claimed, and, under a claim to an entire property, may recover an undivided part thereof.

(a) The plaintiff may embody in his complaint, in a separate count, a claim for the: (1) mesne profits received by the defendant from the property sued for; or (2) clear value of the use and occupation of the property sued for — extending to the time of the verdict, and also dama…

(a) In an action in ejectment against his tenant, a landlord may embody in his complaint, in separate counts, claims for: (1) furniture, if leased with the realty; (2) arrears of rent due at the termination of the tenancy; (3) double rent in cases authorized by this Code from the…

The plaintiff in ejectment is not required to join his claim for rent or damages with his claim for the recovery of the land and his omission to do so does not prevent him from bringing his action for rent or damages separately.

If the title of the plaintiff in ejectment expires after the commencement of his action but before the trial, and but for the expiration he would have been entitled to recover, the verdict shall find the facts, and the plaintiff may recover his damages sustained by the wrongful w…

In an action to recover vacant and unimproved lots of ground it is not necessary, in order to maintain the defense of adversary possession, to show that the premises in controversy had been enclosed; but if it appears that the property had been assessed for taxation to the defend…

(a) In an action of ejectment, if the plaintiff’s title is established by proof, the verdict of the jury shall be generally for the plaintiff as to the whole or part of the property or interest claimed in the complaint, as the case may be. If the plaintiff fails to make satisfact…

A final judgment rendered in an action of ejectment is conclusive as to the title thereby established as between the parties to the action and all persons claiming under them since the commencement of the action.