Delaware Code Title 13 Sec. 902 – Jurisdiction and venue; removal of petitioner from county
(a) Family Court shall have jurisdiction of proceedings under this chapter.
Terms Used In Delaware Code Title 13 Sec. 902
- Child: means a person who has not reached the age of 18 years. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
- 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.
(b) A petition for adoption shall be filed either in the Family Court of the county in which the licensed or authorized agency placing the child is located, or the Family Court of the county in which the petitioner resides.
(c) In any case in which, before the proposed adoption has been finally approved or disapproved, the petitioner or petitioners move into a county other than the county in which the original petition was filed, or into another jurisdiction, the Family Court of the county in which the petition was originally filed may continue to exercise jurisdiction over the proceeding until a final decision has been rendered on the petition.
(d) Whenever the Family Court shall assume jurisdiction for the purposes of terminating parental rights over a child, it shall be deemed to have retained jurisdiction for the purposes of proceeding under this chapter for the adoption.
Code 1935, § ?3551; 41 Del. Laws, c. 187, § ?1; 48 Del. Laws, c. 134, § ?2; 13 Del. C. 1953, § ?902; 57 Del. Laws, c. 363, § ?2; 57 Del. Laws, c. 402, § ?2; 60 Del. Laws, c. 241, § ?2; 62 Del. Laws, c. 402, § ?1; 68 Del. Laws, c. 259, § ?1;