California

Family Law

Family Law

Rule 5.365 – Procedure for consolidation of child support orders

(a) When an order of consolidation of actions has been made under section 1048(a) of the Code of Civil Procedure in cases in which a local child support agency is appearing under section 17400 of the Family Code, or when a motion to consolidate or combine two or more child support orders has been made under section 17408 of the Family Code, the cases in which those orders were entered must be consolidated as follows:

(1)Priority of consolidation

The order consolidating cases that contain child support orders must designate the primary court file into which the support orders must be consolidated and must also designate the court files that are subordinate. Absent an order upon showing of good cause, the cases or child support orders must be consolidated into a single court file according to the following priority, including those cases or orders initiated or obtained by a local child support agency under division 17 of the Family Code that are consolidated under either section 1048(a) of the Code of Civil Procedure or section 17408 of the Family Code:

(A) If one of the cases or child support orders to be consolidated is in an action for nullity, dissolution, or legal separation brought under division 6 of the Family Code, all cases and orders so consolidated must be consolidated into that action, which must be the primary file.
(B) If none of the cases or child support orders to be consolidated is in an action for nullity, dissolution, or legal separation, but one of the child support orders to be consolidated has been issued in an action under the Uniform Parentage Act (Fam. Code, div. 12, pt. 3) , all orders so consolidated must be consolidated into that action, which must be the primary file.
(C) If none of the cases or child support orders to be consolidated is in an action for nullity, dissolution, or legal separation or in an action under the Uniform Parentage Act, but one of the child support orders to be consolidated has been issued in an action commenced by a Petition for Custody and Support of Minor Children (form FL-260) , all orders so consolidated must be consolidated into that action, which must be the primary file.
(D) If none of the cases or child support orders to be consolidated is in an action for nullity, dissolution, or legal separation or in an action under the Uniform Parentage Act, the case or cases with the higher number or numbers must be consolidated into the case with the lowest number, which must be the primary file. Child support orders in cases brought under the Domestic Violence Protection Act (Fam. Code, div. 10, pt. 4) or any similar law may be consolidated under this rule. However, a domestic violence case must not be designated as the primary file.
(2)Notice of consolidation

Upon issuance of the consolidation order, the local child support agency must prepare and file in each subordinate case a Notice of Consolidation (form FL-920) , indicating that the support orders in those actions are consolidated into the primary file. The notice must state the date of the consolidation, the primary file number, and the case number of each of the cases so consolidated. If the local child support agency was not a participant in the proceeding in which the consolidation was ordered, the court must designate the party to prepare and file the notice.

(b) Subsequent filings in consolidated cases

Notwithstanding any other rule, including but not limited to rule 367, upon consolidation of cases with child support orders, all filings in those cases, whether dealing with child support or not, must occur in the primary court action and must be filed under that case, caption, and number only. All further orders must be issued only in the primary action, and no further orders may be issued in a subordinate court file. All enforcement and modification of support orders in consolidated cases must occur in the primary court action regardless of in which action the order was originally issued.

Cal. R. Ct. 5.365

Rule 5.365 amended effective January 1, 2007; adopted as rule 1285.13 effective January 1, 2001; previously amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2003.