Colorado § 14-13-307 - Simultaneous proceedings.

§ 14-13-307. Simultaneous proceedings.

If a proceeding for enforcement under this part 3 is commenced in a court of this state and the court determines that a proceeding to modify the determination is pending in a court of another state having jurisdiction to modify the determination under a provision of law adopted by that state that is in substantial conformity with part 2 of this article, the enforcing court shall immediately communicate with the modifying court. The proceeding for enforcement continues unless the enforcing court, after consultation with the modifying court, stays or dismisses the proceeding.

Source: L. 2000: Entire article R&RE, p. 1533, § 1, effective July 1.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 14-13-107 as it existed prior to 2000.

OFFICIAL COMMENT

The pleading rules of Section 14-13-308, require the parties to disclose any pending proceedings. Normally, an enforcement proceeding will take precedence over a modification action since the PKPA requires enforcement of child custody determinations made in accordance with its terms. However, the enforcement court must communicate with the modification court in order to avoid duplicative litigation. The courts might decide that the court with jurisdiction under Part 2 shall continue with the modification action and stay the enforcement proceeding. Or they might decide that the enforcement proceeding shall go forward. The ultimate decision rests with the court having exclusive, continuing jurisdiction under Section 14-13-202, or if there is no State with exclusive, continuing jurisdiction, then the decision rests with the State that would have jurisdiction to modify under Section 14-13-203. Therefore, if that court determines that the enforcement proceeding should be stayed or dismissed, the enforcement court should stay or dismiss the proceeding. If the enforcement court does not do so, the court with exclusive, continuing jurisdiction under Section 14-13-202, or with modification jurisdiction under Section 14-13-203, could enjoin the parties from continuing with the enforcement proceeding.

ANNOTATION

Annotator's note. Section 14-13-307 is similar to § 14-13-107 as it existed prior to the 2000 repeal and reenactment of this article. Relevant cases construing § 14-13-107 have been included in the annotations under § 14-13-206.