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Terms Used In Iowa Code 598B.208

  • Child: includes child by adoption. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • 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.
  • person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
598B.208 Jurisdiction declined by reason of conduct.
1. Except as otherwise provided in § 598B.204 or by any other law of this state, if a court of this state has jurisdiction under this chapter because a person seeking to invoke its jurisdiction has engaged in unjustifiable conduct, the court shall decline to exercise its jurisdiction unless any of the following applies:
a. The parents and all persons acting as parents have acquiesced in the exercise of jurisdiction.
b. A court of the state otherwise having jurisdiction under sections 598B.201 through
598B.203 determines that this state is a more appropriate forum under § 598B.207.
c. No court of any other state would have jurisdiction under the criteria specified in sections 598B.201 through 598B.203.
2. If a court of this state declines to exercise its jurisdiction pursuant to subsection 1, it may fashion an appropriate remedy to ensure the safety of the child and prevent a repetition of the unjustifiable conduct, including staying the proceeding until a child-custody proceeding is commenced in a court having jurisdiction under sections 598B.201 through 598B.203.
3. If a court dismisses a petition or stays a proceeding because it declines to exercise its jurisdiction pursuant to subsection 1, it shall assess against the party seeking to invoke its jurisdiction necessary and reasonable expenses including costs, communication expenses, attorney fees, investigative fees, expenses for witnesses, travel expenses, and child care expenses during the course of the proceedings, unless the party from whom fees are sought establishes that the assessment would be clearly inappropriate. The court shall not assess fees, costs, or expenses against this state unless authorized by law other than this chapter.
99 Acts, ch 103, §20; 2000 Acts, ch 1058, §50
Referred to in §598B.201