Amendments to Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms

849 So. 2d 1003, 28 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 407, 2003 Fla. LEXIS 804, 2003 WL 21087985
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedMay 15, 2003
DocketNo. SC02-2445
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 849 So. 2d 1003 (Amendments to Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Amendments to Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms, 849 So. 2d 1003, 28 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 407, 2003 Fla. LEXIS 804, 2003 WL 21087985 (Fla. 2003).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

The Supreme Court of Florida, in accordance with Amendments to the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure and Family Law Forms, 810 So.2d 1, 14 (Fla.2000), hereby adopts new and amended Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms addressing domestic violence, repeat violence and dating violence. The changes are necessary to comport with recent legislative changes. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.

During the 2002 session, the Legislature amended the definition of “domestic violence” set forth in section 741.28, Florida Statutes (2001). See ch.2002-55, § 9, at 790, Laws of Fla. The Legislature also amended section 741.30, Florida Statutes (2001), to require that all domestic violence proceedings be recorded. See ch.2002-55, § 13, at 798, Laws of Fla. The Legislature further amended section 741.31, Florida Statutes (2001), to provide additional conduct that will violate an injunction for domestic violence. See ch.2002-55, § 14, at 799, Laws of Fla. Finally, the Legislature amended the definition of “violence” under section 784.046, Florida Statutes (2001), and created a cause of action for dating violence under this statute. See ch.2002-55, § 21, at 803, Laws of Fla.

Input on this issue was sought and received from the Advisory Workgroup on The Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms, which provided valuable assistance as to which additional forms were needed and which forms required amendment as a result of the new legislation. The Workgroup assisted the Court significantly in the drafting of the forms.

To comport with the 2002 statutory changes, we proposed amending Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms 12.980(a)-(n), where applicable, to (1) reflect the statutory change to the definitions of “domestic violence” and “violence”; (2) address the mandatory recording of domestic violence proceedings; (3) include additional conduct that will violate an injunction for protection against domestic violence; and (4) include the new cause of action for dating violence. We also proposed new Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms 12.980(o), Petition for Injunction for Protection Against Dating Violence; 12.980(p), Temporary Injunction for Protection Against Dating Vio[1004]*1004lence; and 12.980(q), Final Judgment of Injunction for Protection Against Dating Violence. Finally, we proposed new form 12.980(r), Petition by Affidavit for Order to Show Cause for a Violation of Final Judgment of Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence, Repeat Violence or Dating Violence, for reporting a violation of an injunction, as well as new form 12.980(s), Order to Show Cause, to be used in conjunction with new form 12.980(r).

A summary of the proposed amendments was published in the December 15, 2002, edition of The Florida Bar News. Five comments were received.1

ANALYSIS

We have carefully reviewed and considered each of the comments filed and have decided to make various amendments to our proposals in response to the comments received.2 We do not attempt to address every proposal and every comment received; rather, we focus our attention on the comments that have resulted in a modification to the forms. In doing so, we continue to emphasize the importance of simplicity and uniformity in the mandatory injunction forms.

We agree with Judge Vitale and administrator Genung that the instructions to form 12.980(b), Petition for Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence, should include the ten statutory factors that a judge may consider when determining whether a petitioner has reasonable cause to believe he or she is in imminent danger of becoming a victim of domestic violence. See § 741.30(6)(b), Fla. Stat. (2002).3 We also agree with Judge Vitale and administrator Genung that Section III. 2. of form 12.980(b) should be made consistent with Section III. 1. of the form. Section III. 1. requires the petitioner to [1005]*1005state whether he or she has ever received or tried to obtain an injunction for protection against domestic violence against the respondent “in this or any other court.” We agree that adding the phrase “in this or any other court” will make Section III. 2. consistent with Section III. I.4

Chief Judge Demers correctly notes that the statutory changes to section 741.30(6)(h), Florida Statutes (2001), require recording of domestic violence proceedings, but do not require recording of repeat and dating violence proceedings. See ch.2002-55, § 13, at 798, Laws of Fla. Accordingly, we have amended form 12.980(c)(1), Order Setting Hearing on Petition, to reflect that only domestic violence hearings are required to be recorded, and that the recording of repeat and dating violence hearings is optional.

We also adopt Chief Judge Demers’ suggestion that forms 12.980(d)(1), Temporary Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence with Minor Child(ren), and 12.980(d)(2), Temporary Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence without Minor Child(ren), be amended to clarify that the court has jurisdiction over the respondent upon service of the temporary injunction.5

Chief Judge Demers also suggests that form 12.980(g), Petition for Injunction for Protection Against Repeat Violence, be amended to eliminate the opportunity for the petitioner to indicate whether the minor child for whom the petitioner is seeking the injunction resides at home. When a petition is filed on behalf of a minor child, the minor child must live at the home of the parent or legal guardian in order for the parent or legal guardian to have standing as the petitioner. See § 784.046(2)(a), Fla. Stat. (2002). We agree with Chief Judge Demers and amend the form to provide that “Petitioner is the parent or legal guardian of_, a minor child who is living at home.”6

We agree with Judge Vitale and administrator Genung that the instructions to form 12.980(h), Supplemental Affidavit in Support of Petition, should be amended to include the statutory language that dating violence “does not include violence in a casual acquaintanceship or violence between individuals who only have engaged in ordinary fraternization in a business or social context.” Ch.2002-55, § 21, at 803, Laws of Fla.

We further adopt Chief Judge Demers’ suggestion that form 12.980(o), Petition for Injunction Against Dating Violence, be amended to include the petitioner’s birth date and the address of the respondent’s parent or guardian if the respondent is a minor. Finally, pursuant to suggestions made by Chief Judge Demers, Judge Vi-tale and administrator Genung, we have amended form 12.980(o) to (1) require the petitioner to list other domestic violence and repeat violence injunctions that the petitioner has sought or obtained against the respondent, and (2) afford the petitioner the option to request that the injunction prohibit the respondent from knowingly and intentionally coming within 100 feet of petitioner’s automobile.7

[1006]*1006Accordingly, we hereby amend the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms as set forth in the appendix to this opinion, effective for immediate use. By adoption of these forms, we express no opinion as to their correctness or applicability, or on the substance of the new legislation.

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Related

In re Amendments to the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure
905 So. 2d 865 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2005)
McGrew v. State
469 So. 2d 95 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1985)

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849 So. 2d 1003, 28 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 407, 2003 Fla. LEXIS 804, 2003 WL 21087985, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/amendments-to-florida-supreme-court-approved-family-law-forms-fla-2003.