Title 8, Family Law & Probate

Application of Act to Resident of Foreign Country and Foreign Support Proceeding. (a) A tribunal of this state shall apply Articles 1 through 6 and, as applicable, Article 7, to a support proceeding involving: (1) a foreign support order; (2) a foreign tribunal; or (3) an obligee…

Bases for Jurisdiction Over Nonresident. (a) In a proceeding to establish or enforce a support order or to determine parentage of a child, a tribunal of this state may exercise personal jurisdiction over a nonresident individual or the individual’s guardian if: (1) the individual…

Duration of Personal Jurisdiction. Personal jurisdiction acquired by a tribunal of this state in a proceeding under this Act or other law of this state relating to a support order continues as long as a tribunal of this state has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify its o…

Initiating and Responding Tribunal of State. Under this Act, a tribunal of this state may serve as an initiating tribunal to forward proceedings to a tribunal of another state, and as a responding tribunal for proceedings initiated in another state or a foreign country. Source: P…

Simultaneous Proceedings. (a) A tribunal of this state may exercise jurisdiction to establish a support order if the petition or comparable pleading is filed after a pleading is filed in another state or a foreign country only if: (1) the petition or comparable pleading in this s…

Continuing, Exclusive Jurisdiction to Modify Child-Support Order. (a) A tribunal of this state that has issued a child-support order consistent with the law of this state has and shall exercise continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify its child-support order if the order is t…

Continuing Jurisdiction to Enforce Child-Support Order. (a) A tribunal of this state that has issued a child-support order consistent with the law of this state may serve as an initiating tribunal to request a tribunal of another state to enforce: (1) the order if the order is th…

Determination of Controlling Child-Support Order. (a) If a proceeding is brought under this Act and only one tribunal has issued a child-support order, the order of that tribunal controls and must be recognized. (b) If a proceeding is brought under this Act, and two or more child…

Child-Support Orders for Two or More Obligees. In responding to registrations or petitions for enforcement of two or more child-support orders in effect at the same time with regard to the same obligor and different individual obligees, at least one of which was issued by a tribu…

Credit for Payments. A tribunal of this state shall credit amounts collected for a particular period pursuant to any child-support order against the amounts owed for the same period under any other child-support order for support of the same child issued by a tribunal of this sta…

Application of Act to Nonresident Subject to Personal Jurisdiction. A tribunal of this state exercising personal jurisdiction over a nonresident in a proceeding under this Act, under other law of this state relating to a support order, or recognizing a foreign support order may r…

Continuing, Exclusive Jurisdiction to Modify Spousal-Support Order. (a) A tribunal of this state issuing a spousal-support order consistent with the law of this state has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify the spousalsupport order throughout the existence of the support…

Proceedings Under Act. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this Act, this Article applies to all proceedings under this Act. (b) An individual petitioner or a support enforcement agency may initiate a proceeding authorized under this Act by filing a petition in an initiating trib…

Proceedings by Minor Parent. A minor parent, or a guardian or other legal representative of a minor parent, may maintain a proceeding on behalf of or for the benefit of the minor’s child. Source: PL 20-22 § 6 (Oct. 6, 2017).

Application of Law of State. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, a responding tribunal of this state shall: (a) apply the procedural and substantive law generally applicable to similar proceedings originating in this state and may exercise all powers and provide all remedie…

Duties of Initiating Tribunal. (a) Upon the filing of a petition authorized by this Act, an initiating tribunal of this state shall forward the petition and its accompanying documents: (1) to the responding tribunal or appropriate support enforcement agency in the responding stat…

Duties and Powers of Responding Tribunal. (a) When a responding tribunal of this state receives a petition or comparable pleading from an initiating tribunal or directly pursuant to 8 CMC § 15301(b), it shall cause the petition or pleading to be filed and notify the petitioner wh…

Inappropriate Tribunal. If a petition or comparable pleading is received by an inappropriate tribunal of this state, the tribunal shall forward the pleading and accompanying documents to an appropriate tribunal of this state or another state and notify the petitioner where and wh…

Duties of Support Enforcement Agency. (a) In a proceeding under this Act, a support enforcement agency of this state, upon request: (1) shall provide services to a petitioner residing in a state; (2) shall provide services to a petitioner requesting services through a central aut…

Duty of Superior Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (a) If the Superior Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands determines that the support enforcement agency is neglecting or refusing to provide services to an individual, the Superior Co…

Private Counsel. An individual may employ private counsel to represent the individual in proceedings authorized by this Act. Source: PL 20-22 § 6 (Oct. 6, 2017).

Duties of Child Support Enforcement Division. (a) The Child Support Enforcement Division is the state information agency under this Act. (b) The state information agency shall: (1) compile and maintain a current list, including addresses, of the tribunals in this state which have…

Pleadings and Accompanying Documents. (a) In a proceeding under this Act, a petitioner seeking to establish a support order, to determine parentage of a child, or to register and modify a support order of a tribunal of another state or a foreign country must file a petition. Unle…

Nondisclosure of Information in Exceptional Circumstances. If a party alleges in an affidavit or a pleading under oath that the health, safety, or liberty of a party or child would be jeopardized by disclosure of specific identifying information, that information must be sealed a…

Costs and Fees. (a) The petitioner may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs. (b) If an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal of this state may assess against an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney’s fees, other costs, and necessary travel and other reasonable…

Limited Immunity of Petitioner. (a) Participation by a petitioner in a proceeding under this Act before a responding tribunal, whether in person, by private attorney, or through services provided by the support enforcement agency, does not confer personal jurisdiction over the pe…

Nonparentage as Defense. A party whose parentage of a child has been previously determined by or pursuant to law may not plead nonparentage as a defense to a proceeding under this Act. Source: PL 20-22 § 6 (Oct. 6, 2017).

Special Rules of Evidence and Procedure. (a) The physical presence of a nonresident party who is an individual in a tribunal of this state is not required for the establishment, enforcement, or modification of a support order or the rendition of a judgment determining parentage o…

Communications Between Tribunals. A tribunal of this state may communicate with a tribunal outside this state in a record or by telephone, electronic mail, or other means, to obtain information concerning the laws, the legal effect of a judgment, decree, or order of that tribunal…

Assistance with Discovery. A tribunal of this state may: (a) request a tribunal outside this state to assist in obtaining discovery; and (b) upon request, compel a person over which it has jurisdiction to respond to a discovery order issued by a tribunal outside this state. Sourc…

Receipt and Disbursement of Payments. (a) A support enforcement agency or tribunal of this state shall disburse promptly any amounts received pursuant to a support order, as directed by the order. The agency or tribunal shall furnish to a requesting party or tribunal of another s…

Establishment of Support Order. (a) If a support order entitled to recognition under this Act has not been issued, a responding tribunal of this state with personal jurisdiction over the parties may issue a support order if: (1) the individual seeking the order resides outside th…

Proceeding to Determine Parentage. A tribunal of this state authorized to determine parentage of a child may serve as a responding tribunal in a proceeding to determine parentage of a child brought under this Act or a law or procedure substantially similar to this Act. Source: PL…

Employer’s Receipt of Income-Withholding Order of Another State. An income-withholding order issued in another state may be sent by or on behalf of the obligee, or by the support enforcement agency, to the person defined as the obligor’s employer under the income-withholding law …

Employer’s Compliance with Income-Withholding Order of Another State. (a) Upon receipt of an income-withholding order, the obligor’s employer shall immediately provide a copy of the order to the obligor. (b) The employer shall treat an income-withholding order issued in another s…

Employer’s Compliance with Two or More IncomeWithholding Orders. If an obligor’s employer receives two or more income-withholding orders with respect to the earnings of the same obligor, the employer satisfies the terms of the orders if the employer complies with the law of the s…

Immunity from Civil Liability. An employer that complies with an income-withholding order issued in another state in accordance with this Article is not subject to civil liability to an individual or agency with regard to the employer’s withholding of child support from the oblig…

Penalties for Noncompliance. An employer that willfully fails to comply with an income-withholding order issued in another state and received for enforcement is subject to the same penalties that may be imposed for noncompliance with an order issued by a tribunal of this state. S…

Contest by Obligor. (a) An obligor may contest the validity or enforcement of an incomewithholding order issued in another state and received directly by an employer in this state by registering the order in a tribunal of this state and filing a contest to that order as provided …

Administrative Enforcement of Orders. (a) A party or support enforcement agency seeking to enforce a support order or an income-withholding order, or both, issued in another state or a foreign support order may send the documents required for registering the order to a support en…

Registration of Order for Enforcement. A support order or income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order may be registered in this state for enforcement. Source: PL 20-22 § 6 (Oct. 6, 2017).

Procedure to Register Order for Enforcement. (a) Except as otherwise provided in 8 CMC § 15706, a support order or income-withholding order of another state or a foreign support order may be registered in this state by sending the following records to the appropriate tribunal in …

Effect of Registration for Enforcement. (a) A support order or income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order is registered when the order is filed in the registering tribunal of this state. (b) A registered support order issued in another state or a …

Choice of Law. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (d), the law of the issuing state or foreign country governs: (1) the nature, extent, amount, and duration of current payments under a registered support order; (2) the computation and payment of arrearages and accrual…

Notice of Registration of Order. (a) When a support order or income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order is registered, the registering tribunal of this state shall notify the nonregistering party. The notice must be accompanied by a copy of the re…

Procedure to Contest Validity or Enforcement of Registered Support Order. (a) A nonregistering party seeking to contest the validity or enforcement of a registered support order in this state shall request a hearing within the time required by 8 CMC § 15605. The nonregistering pa…