2017 Montana Code Annotated
TITLE 40. FAMILY LAW
CHAPTER 7. UNIFORM CHILD CUSTODY JURISDICTION AND ENFORCEMENT ACT
Part 2. Jurisdiction
40-7-204. Temporary emergency jurisdiction

40-7-204. Temporary emergency jurisdiction. (1) A court of this state has temporary emergency jurisdiction if the child is present in this state and the child has been abandoned 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 abuse.

(2) If there is no previous child custody determination that is entitled to be enforced under this chapter and a child custody proceeding has not been commenced in a court of a state having jurisdiction under 40-7-201 through 40-7-203, a child custody determination made under this section remains in effect until an order is obtained from a court of a state having jurisdiction under 40-7-201 through 40-7-203. If a child custody proceeding has not been or is not commenced in a court of a state having jurisdiction under 40-7-201 through 40-7-203, a child custody determination made under this section becomes a final determination if it so provides and this state becomes the home state of the child.

(3) If there is a previous child custody determination that is entitled to be enforced under this chapter or a child custody proceeding has been commenced in a court of a state having jurisdiction under 40-7-201 through 40-7-203, any order issued by a court of this state under this section must specify in the order a period of time that the court considers adequate to allow the person seeking an order to obtain an order from the state having jurisdiction under 40-7-201 through 40-7-203. The order issued in this state remains in effect until an order is obtained from the other state within the period specified or until 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 in, or a child custody determination has been made by, a court of a state having jurisdiction under 40-7-201 through 40-7-203, shall immediately communicate with the other court. A court of this state that is exercising jurisdiction pursuant to 40-7-201 through 40-7-203, upon being informed that a child custody proceeding has been commenced in, 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 the communication is to resolve the emergency, to protect the safety of the parties and the child, and to determine a period for the duration of the temporary order.

History: En. Sec. 24, Ch. 91, L. 1999.