Colorado

Family Law

Family Law

Section 14-5-615 – Jurisdiction to modify child support order of foreign country

(a) Except as otherwise provided in section 14-5-711, if a foreign country lacks or refuses to exercise jurisdiction to modify its child support order pursuant to its laws, a tribunal of this state may assume jurisdiction to modify the child support order and bind all individuals subject to the personal jurisdiction of the tribunal whether the consent to modification of a child support order otherwise required of the individual pursuant to section 14-5-611 has been given or whether the individual seeking modification is a resident of this state or of the foreign country.
(b) An order issued by a tribunal of this state modifying a foreign child support order pursuant to this section is the controlling order.

C.R.S. § 14-5-615

L. 2003: Entire section added, p. 1262, § 42, effective July 1, 2004. L. 2015: Entire part amended, (HB 15-1198), ch. 173, p. 561, § 31, effective July 1.

COMMENT

Subsection (a) provides that a state tribunal may modify a foreign child-support order, other than a Convention order, when the foreign issuing tribunal lacks or refuses to exercise jurisdiction to modify its order. The standard example cited for the necessity of this special rule involved the conundrum posed when an obligor has moved to the responding state from the issuing country and the law of that country requires both parties to be physically present at a hearing before the tribunal in order to sustain a modification of child support. In that circumstance, the foreign issuing tribunal is unable to exercise jurisdiction to modify under its law. Ordinarily, under Section 611 the responding state tribunal is not authorized to issue a new order, in effect modifying the foreign support order, because the child or the obligee continues to reside in the issuing country. To remedy the perceived inequity in such a fact situation, this section provides an exception to the rule of Section 611. If both parties are subject to the personal jurisdiction of a state by the obligee’s submission and the obligor’s residence, or other grounds under Section 201, the responding state tribunal may modify the foreign child-support order. Modification of a Convention order is governed by Section 711.

The ability of a state tribunal to modify when the foreign country refuses to exercise its jurisdiction should be invoked with circumspection, as there may be a cogent reason for such refusal. Note, Section 317 empowers tribunals to communicate regarding this issue, rather than rely upon representations of one or more of the parties.

Subsection (b) states that if a new order is issued under subsection (a), it becomes the UIFSA controlling order insofar as other states are concerned. Obviously this act cannot dictate the same result to the issuing foreign tribunal, although it seems highly likely that either through child-based jurisdiction or an action filed by the obligee recognition by the foreign tribunal will occur.

Related to Convention: art. 18. Limit on proceedings.