Temporary emergency jurisdiction
If a child is in Missouri and has been left alone with no one to care for them, or if the child, their brother or sister, or their parent is being hurt or threatened, a Missouri court can step in right away to decide who takes care of that child. This is called temporary emergency jurisdiction. The order the court makes is usually just for a short time — until a court in the state that normally handles the case can make a longer-term decision. If two courts in different states are both involved, they must talk to each other right away to sort things out and keep the child safe.
452.755. . — 1. A court of this state has temporary emergency jurisdiction if the child is present in this state and the child has been , or it is necessary in an emergency to protect the child because the child, or a sibling or parent of the child, is subjected to or threatened with mistreatment or .
2. If there is no previous that is entitled to be enforced under sections 452.700 to 452.930, and if no has been commenced in a court of a state having under sections 452.740 to 452.750, a child custody determination made under this section remains in effect until an is obtained from a court of a state having jurisdiction under sections 452.740 to 452.750. If a child custody proceeding has not been or is not commenced in a court of a state having jurisdiction under sections 452.740 to 452.750, a child custody determination made under this section becomes a if:
(1) It so provides; and
(2) This state becomes the of the child.
3. If there is a previous child custody determination that is entitled to be enforced under sections 452.700 to 452.930, or a child custody proceeding has been commenced in a court of a state having jurisdiction under sections 452.740 to 452.750, any order issued by a court of this state under this section shall specify in the order a period of time which the court considers adequate to allow the person seeking an order to obtain an order from the state having jurisdiction under sections 452.740 to 452.750. The order issued in this state remains in effect until an order is obtained from the other state within the period specified or the period expires.
4. A court of this state that has been asked to make a child custody determination under this section, upon being informed that a child custody proceeding has been commenced, or a child custody determination has been made, by a court of a state having jurisdiction under sections 452.740 to 452.750, shall immediately communicate with the other court. A court of this state that is exercising jurisdiction under sections 452.740 to 452.750, upon being informed that a child custody proceeding has been commenced, or a child custody determination has been made by a court of another state under a statute similar to this section shall immediately communicate with the court of that state. The purpose of such communication is to resolve the emergency, protect the safety of the parties and the child, and determine a period for the duration of the .
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Source & history notes
(L. 2009 H.B. 481)
Legal information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source at revisor.mo.gov.