Lynch & Owens is pleased to make available a new Massachusetts Probate and Family Court form. The Affidavit of Filing of Certified Copy of Child Custody Judgment Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 209B is typically filed when a party is seeking to register a foreign custody decree in Massachusetts pursuant to Ch. 209B, s. 12, which provides:
Section 12. (a) A certified copy of a custody judgment of another state may be filed in the office of the clerk or register of any court of competent jurisdiction in the commonwealth. The clerk or register shall treat the judgment in the same manner as a custody judgment of a court of the commonwealth. A custody judgment so filed has the same effect and shall be enforced in like manner as a custody judgment rendered by a court of the commonwealth.
(b) A person violating a custody judgment of another state the violation of which makes it necessary to enforce the judgment in the commonwealth may be required to pay the reasonable and necessary travel, witness and other expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred by the party entitled to custody of the child.
Although most Massachusetts Probate and Family Court forms are available on the state’s website, we were unable to locate an online version of this form, so we decided to upload a copy we obtained courtesy of the Plymouth Probate and Family Court. Download and/or view the form here.
https://lynchowens.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Mass-Affidavit-Filing-Certified-Custody-Judgment-209B.pdf
For other Massachusetts Probate and Family Court forms, please check out our family law forms page.
About the Author: Jason V. Owens is a Massachusetts divorce lawyer and Massachusetts family law attorney for Lynch & Owens, located in Hingham, Massachusetts.