Sec. 14. (a) If a petition for adoption and a paternity action are pending at the same time for a child sought to be adopted, the court in which the petition for adoption has been filed has exclusive
jurisdiction over the child, and the paternity proceeding must be consolidated with the adoption proceeding.
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Terms Used In Indiana Code 31-19-2-14
- Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
(c) Following a dismissal of the adoption petition under subsection (b), the court may:
(1) retain jurisdiction over the paternity proceeding; or
(2) return the paternity proceeding to the court in which it was originally filed.
If the paternity proceeding is returned to the court in which it was originally filed, the court assumes jurisdiction over the child, subject to any provisions of the consolidated court’s order under IC 31-19-11-5.
As added by P.L.61-2003, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.81-2014, SEC.2.
