In re Amendments to the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms

93 So. 3d 194, 2012 Fla. LEXIS 2663, 2012 WL 2036033
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in In re Amendments to the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms. Read the opinion of the Court — 37 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 386
Supreme Court of Florida·Decided June 7, 2012·No. No. SC12-510·Published

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

Pursuant to the procedures approved by this Court in Amendments to the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure & Family Law Forms, 810 So.2d 1, 14 (Fla.2000), this Court has internally reviewed the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms and has determined that amendments to twenty-four forms regarding domestic, repeat, dating, and sexual violence are needed. In general, the amendments do the following: (1) revise language in notices of hearing to comply with Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.540 (Requests for Accommodations by Persons with Disabilities); (2) remove unnecessary or unauthorized requests for personal information, such as place of marriage, and place of birth or gender of a minor; (3) add language to forms used in proceedings for temporary injunctions to expressly advise litigants that failure to appear at the final hearing may result in the issuance of a permanent injunction; (4) add language in the petition for temporary injunction forms making a specific prayer for entry of a temporary injunction; (5) update language relating to health and dental insurance, where applicable, to reflect current statutory requirements; and (6) revise the method of payment sections, where applicable, to add the central depository within each circuit as an entity able to accept court-ordered payments. Input on these issues was received from the Advisory Workgroup on the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms, which provided valuable assistance. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.

The new and amended forms are adopted as set forth in the appendix to this opinion, fully engrossed, and ready for use. The forms shall become effective immediately upon release of this opinion. The forms may also be accessed and downloaded from the Florida State Court’s website at www.flcourts.org/gen_public/family/ forms_rules/index.shtml. By adoption of the new and amended forms, we express no opinion as to their correctness or applicability. We also direct that the new and amended forms be published for comment. Interested persons shall have sixty days from the date of this opinion to file comments with the Court.1

It is so ordered.

CANADY, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, POLSTON, LABARGA, and PERRY, JJ., concur.

APPENDIX

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FLORIDA SUPREME COURT APPROVED FAMILY LAW FORM 12.980(a), PETITION FOR INJUNCTION FOR PROTECTION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (06/12)

When should this form be used?

If you are a victim of any act of domestic violence or have reasonable cause to believe that you are in imminent danger of becoming a victim of domestic violence, you can use this form to ask the court for a protective order prohibiting domestic violence. Because you are making a request to the court, you are called the petitioner. The person whom you are asking the court to protect you from is called the [196]*196respondent. Domestic violence includes: assault, aggravated assault, battery, aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or any other criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death to petitioner by any of petitioner’s family or household members. In determining whether you have reasonable cause to believe you are in imminent danger of becoming a victim of domestic violence, the court must consider all relevant factors alleged in the petition, including, but not limited to the following:

1. The history between the petitioner and the respondent, including threats, harassment, stalking, and physical abuse.
2. Whether the respondent has attempted to harm the petitioner or family members or individuals closely associated with the petitioner.
3. Whether the respondent has threatened to conceal, kidnap, or harm the petitioner’s child or children.
4. Whether the respondent has intentionally injured or killed a family pet.
5. Whether the respondent has used, or has threatened to use, against the petitioner any weapons such as guns or knives.
6. Whether the respondent has physically restrained the petitioner from leaving the home or calling law enforcement.
7. Whether the respondent has a criminal history involving violence or the threat of violence.
8. The existence of a verifiable order of protection issued previously or from another jurisdiction.
9. Whether the respondent has destroyed personal property, including, but not limited to, telephones or other communications equipment, clothing, or other items belonging to the petitioner.
10. Whether the respondent engaged in any other behavior or conduct that leads the petitioner to have reasonable cause to believe that he or she is in imminent danger of becoming a victim of domestic violence.

The domestic violence laws only apply to your situation if the respondent is your spouse, former spouse, related to you by blood or marriage, living with you now or has lived with you in the past (if you are or were living as a family), or the other parent of your children) whether or not you have ever been married or ever lived together. With the exception of persons who have a child in common, the family or household members must be currently residing together or have in the past resided together in the same single dwelling unit. If the respondent is not one of the above, you should look at Petition for Injunction for Protection Against Repeat Violence, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.980(f), to determine if your situation will qualify for an injunction for protection against repeat violence, or Petition for Injunction for Protection Against Dating Violence, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.980(n), to determine if your situation will qualify for an injunction for protection against dating violence, or Petition for Injunction for Protection Against Sexual Violence, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.980(q), to determine if your situation will qualify for [197]*197an injunction for protection against sexual violence.

If you are under the age of eighteen and you have never been married or had the disabilities of nonage removed by a court, then one of your parents, custodians, or your legal guardian must sign this petition with you.

This form should be typed or printed in black ink. You should complete this form (giving as much detail as possible) and sign it in front of a notary public or the clerk of the circuit court in the county where you live. The clerk will take your completed petition to a judge. You should keep a copy for your records. If you have any questions or need assistance completing this form, the clerk or family law intake staff will help you.

What should I do if the judge grants my petition?

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In re Amendments to the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms, 93 So. 3d 194, 2012 Fla. LEXIS 2663, 2012 WL 2036033 (Fla. 2012).

93 So. 3d 194 (In re Amendments to the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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