D.C. Code § 16-916.01 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 9 / § 16-916.01
§ 16-916.01. Child Support Guideline.
Status: in_force

(a) In any case that involves the establishment of child support, or in any case that seeks to modify an existing support order, if the judicial officer finds that there is an existing duty of child support, the judicial officer shall conduct a hearing on child support, make a finding, and enter a judgment in accordance with the child support guideline (“guideline”) established in this section.
(b) In every action for divorce or custody, and in every proceeding for protection involving an intrafamily offense, instituted pursuant to Chapter 10 of Title 16 , where a party has a legal duty to pay support to another party, the judicial officer shall inquire into the parties’ child support arrangements. If the party entitled to child support has not requested support, or if the parties have agreed against the entry of a support order, the judicial officer shall advise the parties, regardless of whether they are represented by counsel, of the parties’ entitlement to receive and obligation to pay child support under the guideline.
(c) The guideline shall be based on the following principles:
  (1) The guideline shall set forth an equitable approach to child support in which both parents share legal responsibility for the support of the child.
  (2) The subsistence needs of each parent shall be taken into account in the determination of child support.
  (3) A parent has the responsibility to meet the child’s basic needs, as well as to provide additional child support above the basic needs level.
  (4) Application of the guideline shall be gender neutral.
  (5) The guideline shall be applied consistently regardless of whether either parent is a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Program on Work, Employment, and Responsibility, or General Assistance for Children recipient, or a recipient of benefits under any substantially similar means-tested public assistance program.
  (6) The guideline shall be applied presumptively.
(d) (1) For the purposes of this section, the term “gross income” means income from any source, including:
    (A) Salary or wages, including overtime, tips, or income from self-employment;
    (B) Commissions;
    (C) Severance pay;
    (D) Royalties;
    (E) Bonuses;
    (F) Interest or dividends;
    (G) Income derived from a business or partnership after deduction of reasonable and necessary business expenses, but not depreciation;
    (H) Social Security;
    (I) Veteran’s benefits;
    (J) Insurance benefits;
    (K) Worker’s compensation;
    (L) Unemployment compensation;
    (M) Pension;
    (N) Annuity;
    (O) Income from a trust;
    (P) Capital gains from a real or personal property transaction, if the capital gains represent a regular source of income;
    (Q) A contract that results in regular income;
    (R) A perquisite or in-kind compensation if the perquisite or in-kind compensation is significant and represents a regular source of income or reduces living expenses, such as use of a company car , reimbursed meals, or military housing and food allowances, including the Basic Allowance for Housing and the Basic Allowance for Subsistence;
    (S) Income from life insurance or an endowment contract;
    (T) Regular income from an interest in an estate, directly or through a trust;
    (U) Lottery or gambling winnings that are received in a lump sum or in an annuity;
    (V) Prize or award;
    (W) Net rental income after deduction of reasonable and necessary operating costs, but not depreciation; or
    (X) Taxes paid on a party’s income by an employer or, if the income is nontaxable, the amount of taxes that would be paid if the income were taxable.
  (2) For a parent subject to self-employment tax, 1/2 of Social Security and Medicare taxes due and payable on current income shall be deducted from the parent’s gross income before the child support obligation is computed.
  (3) Alimony paid by either parent to the other parent subject to the support order shall be deducted from the gross income of the parent paying the alimony before the child support obligation is computed. Alimony received from any person, including alimony received from the other parent subject to the support order, shall be added to the gross income of the parent receiving the alimony before the child support obligation is computed. Deductions and additions for alimony shall be made regardless of whether the alimony is court ordered or paid pursuant to an agreement.
  (4) A support order that is being paid by either parent shall be deducted from the parent’s gross income before the child support obligation is computed.
  (5) Each parent shall receive a deduction from gross income for each child living in the parent’s home for whom the parent owes a legal duty to pay support, if the child is not subject to the support order. The amount of the deduction shall be calculated by determining the basic child support obligation for the additional child in the parent’s home pursuant to subsection (f)(2) of this section, using only the income of the parent entitled to the deduction. This figure shall be multiplied by 75%, and the resulting amount subtracted from the parent’s gross income before the child support obligation is computed.
  (6) Gross income shall not include benefits received from means-tested public assistance programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Program on Work, Employment, and Responsibility, General Assistance for Children, Supplemental Security Income, or Food Stamps.
  (7) Gross income shall not include income received by or on behalf of a child in the household of a parent or third-party custodian, including foster care and guardianship payments, if the income is for a child who is not subject to the support order.
  (8) If a child subject to the support order is in the care of a third party, both parents may be required to pay child support. The income of the third party shall not be considered in the calculation of child support.
  (9) If a child subject to the support order receives Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”) derivative benefits through either parent, the amount of the derivative benefit paid to the child shall be included in the gross income of the parent from whom the benefit derives.
  (10) If the judicial officer finds that a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed as a result of the parent’s bad faith or deliberate effort to suppress income, to avoid or minimize the parent’s child support obligation, or to maximize the other parent’s obligation, the judicial officer may impute income to this parent and calculate the child support obligation based on the imputed income. The judicial officer shall not impute income to a parent who is physically or mentally unable to work or who is receiving means-tested public assistance benefits. The judicial officer shall issue written factual findings stating the reasons for imputing income at the specified amount.
  (11) The judicial officer shall determine the adjusted gross income of each parent based on evidence, including pay stubs, tax returns, employer statements, affidavits, and oral testimony provided under oath.
(e) The judicial officer shall determine each parent’s adjusted gross income by making the additions to and deductions from gross income specified in subsection (d) of this section.
(f) (1) Except in cases of shared physical custody as described in subsection (q) of this section, the child support obligation shall be calculated according to the following procedure:
    (A) Determine each parent’s adjusted gross income according to subsection (e) of this section.
    (B) Using the parents’ combined adjusted gross income, locate the basic child support obligation from the Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations referenced in subsection (w) of this section. If the parents’ combined adjusted gross income falls between the amounts shown in the schedule, the basic child support obligation shall be rounded up to the next higher amount.
    (C) Calculate each parent’s percentage share of combined adjusted gross income by dividing each parent’s adjusted gross income by the combined adjusted gross income.
    (D) Multiply the basic child support obligation from subparagraph (B) of this paragraph by each parent’s percentage share of combined adjusted gross income from subparagraph (C) of this paragraph to determine each parent’s share of the basic child support obligation. When the parents do not have shared physical custody as defined in subsection (q) of this section, the parent with whom the child does not primarily reside shall be the parent with a legal duty to pay support. The parent with a legal duty to pay support shall pay that parent’s share of the basic child support obligation to the parent with whom the child primarily resides. Adjustments for health insurance premiums, extraordinary medical expenses, child care expenses, and SSDI derivative benefits shall be made to this amount according to subsections (i) through (l) of this section. The parent with whom the child primarily resides shall be presumed to spend that parent’s own share of child support directly on the child.
  (2) Worksheet A in Appendix II may be used to calculate the child support obligation under this subsection.
(f-1) (1) If the judicial officer does not have sufficient evidence to determine the adjusted gross income of a parent with a legal duty to pay support in accordance with subsection (e) of this section, the judicial officer may enter a minimum order of $75 per month; provided, that the parent has:
    (A) Been served with notice of the hearing but has failed to appear; or
    (B) Failed to provide information about his or her gross income.
  (2) If the judicial officer enters an order under this subsection, the judicial officer shall issue written factual findings stating the reasons for entering the order in the amount specified.
(g) (1) (A) A parent with a legal duty to pay support may maintain a self-support reserve as provided in this subsection. The self-support reserve shall be calculated at 133% of the United States Department of Health and Human Services poverty guideline per year for a single individual. The self-support reserve shall be updated by the Mayor every 2 years with the updated amount to be published in the District of Columbia Register and made effective as of April 1.
    (B) As of April 1, 2007, the self-support reserve shall be $12,382.
    (C) As of April 1, 2009, the self-support reserve shall be $14,404. The Child Support Services Division of the Office of the Attorney General shall act promptly to ensure that all child support orders entered into on or after April 1, 2009 are modified, as appropriate and as permitted under applicable law, to incorporate the April 1, 2009 adjustment.
    (D) As of April 1, 2015, the self-support reserve shall be $15,654.
  (2) A parent with a legal duty to pay support, but with adjusted gross income below the self-support reserve, shall be considered unable to contribute the amount determined under subsection (f) of this section. The judicial officer shall treat a parent at this level of income on an individual basis, and shall determine the amount that the parent is able to pay, while meeting personal subsistence needs.
  (3) (A) Where the judicial officer finds that a parent with adjusted gross income below the self-support reserve has the ability to pay child support under paragraph (2) of this section, there shall be a presumption that the parent can pay a minimum amount of $75 per month, while meeting personal subsistence needs. The presumption may be rebutted downward to $0 or upward above $75 per month by evidence of resources or circumstances affecting the parent’s ability to pay, including age, employability, disability, homelessness, incarceration, inpatient substance abuse treatment, other inpatient treatment, housing expenses, provision or receipt of in-kind resources or services, benefits received from means-tested public assistance programs, other public benefits, subsidies, tax credits, or other appropriate circumstances.
    (B) In any contested matter, the judicial officer shall ask the parent with a legal duty to pay support and the parent to whom support is owed, if present, if either has evidence that would rebut the presumption under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.  If either parent answers in the affirmative, that parent shall have an opportunity to present such evidence before an order is issued.
    (C) The judicial officer shall issue written factual findings stating the reasons for the entry of an order below or above the $75 per month presumptive amount.
(g-1) (1) Upon request or on the judicial officer’s own motion, the judicial officer shall determine whether the parent to whom support is owed can meet his or her personal subsistence needs, considering the resources and circumstances of that parent, including age, employability, disability, homelessness, incarceration, inpatient substance abuse treatment, other inpatient treatment, housing expenses, provision or receipt of in-kind resources or services, benefits received from means-tested public assistance programs, other public benefits, subsidies, tax credits, or other appropriate circumstances.
  (2) If the judicial officer determines that the parent to whom support is owed can meet his or her subsistence needs, the judicial officer shall order the parent with a legal duty to pay support to pay what he or she would otherwise be required to pay pursuant to this section.
  (3) If the judicial officer determines that the parent to whom support is owed cannot meet his or her subsistence needs and the parent with a legal duty to pay support has an adjusted gross income below the self-support reserve under subsection (g) of this section, the judicial officer shall determine whether, for the support and maintenance of the child, the parent with a legal duty to pay support should pay more than he or she would otherwise be required to pay pursuant to subsection (g)(3) of this section.
  (4) In no case shall the amount ordered pursuant to this section:
    (A) Result in the adjusted gross income of the parent with a legal duty to pay support falling below the modified self-support reserve under subsection (g-2) of this section; or
    (B) Exceed the amount of pass-through funds available to families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits.
  (5) The judicial officer shall issue written factual findings stating the reasons for the entry of an order issued pursuant to paragraph (3) of this subsection.
(g-2) A modified self-support reserve shall be calculated at 100% of the United States Department of Health and Human Services poverty guideline per year for a single individual to be used to determine support pursuant to subsection (g-1) of this section.  The modified self-support reserve shall be updated by the Mayor every 2 years with the updated amount to be published in the District of Columbia Register and made effective as of April 1.  As of April 1, 2015, the modified self-support reserve shall be $11,770.
(h) The guideline shall not apply presumptively in cases where the parents’ combined adjusted gross income exceeds $240,000 per year. In these cases, the child support obligation shall not be less than the amount that the parent with a legal duty to pay support would have been ordered to pay if the guideline had been applied to combined adjusted gross income of $240,000. The judicial officer may exercise discretion to order more child support, after determining the reasonable needs of the child based on actual family experience. The judicial officer shall issue written factual findings stating the reasons for an award of additional child support.
(i) (1) All orders shall contain terms providing for the payment of medical expenses for the child in accordance with section 16-916.
  (2) Amounts paid by either parent for health insurance premiums for a child subject to the support order shall be divided between the parents in proportion to their respective adjusted gross incomes and added to the parents’ respective shares of the basic child support obligation.
  (3) A parent shall present proof of the increase in a health insurance premium incurred as a result of the addition of the child to the health insurance policy. The proof provided shall identify clearly that the source of the increase of the health insurance premium is the child subject to the support order. The cost to add the child shall be reasonable.
  (4) If a parent has family health insurance coverage in the parent’s health insurance plan for a second family, the addition of the child who is subject to the support order need not result in an additional cost of health insurance coverage to the parent. The parent shall provide proof that the child has been added to the health insurance coverage. An adjustment shall not be made if there is no additional cost of health insurance coverage to the parent.
  (5) Health insurance coverage shall be considered reasonable in cost if the cost to the obligated parent of providing coverage for the children subject to the support order pursuant to § 16-916.01(i)(3) does not exceed 5% of the parent’s gross income.
(j) (1) Extraordinary medical expenses are uninsured or unreimbursed medical expenses in excess of $250 per year, per child subject to the support order. These expenses include co-payments, deductibles, and contributions associated with public and private health insurance coverage, and costs that are reasonably necessary for orthodontia, dental treatment, asthma treatments, physical therapy, vision care, or the diagnosis or treatment of a health condition.
  (2) Extraordinary medical expenses shall be divided between the parents in proportion to their respective adjusted gross incomes.
  (3) If extraordinary medical expenses are recurring and the judicial officer can reasonably determine future expenses when the support order is established or modified, the judicial officer shall add each parent’s proportionate share of the expenses to the parent’s share of the basic child support obligation. The parents shall pay other extraordinary medical expenses in proportion to their adjusted gross incomes when these expenses are incurred. If either parent advances payment for these expenses to a provider of services, the other parent shall reimburse that parent for the other parent’s proportionate share of the expense within 30 days of receiving written proof of the expense and payment.
(k) Reasonable child care expenses incurred for a child subject to the support order due to the employment or education of either parent shall be divided between the parents in proportion to their adjusted gross incomes and added to their respective shares of the basic child support obligation. Child care expenses shall be determined by actual family experience, unless the judicial officer determines that the actual family experience is not in the best interest of the child. If there is no actual family experience, or if the actual family experience is not in the best interest of the child, the judicial officer shall determine a reasonable child care expense based on the cost of child care from a licensed source. If the primary residential parent chooses child care with an actual cost that is less than the level required to provide child care from a licensed source, the judicial officer shall use the actual child care expense to calculate the child support obligation.
(l) If a child subject to the support order receives SSDI derivative benefits from the parent with a legal duty to pay support, the following adjustment to the child support obligation shall be made:
  (1) After the child support obligation is calculated pursuant to subsections (f) through (k) of this section, the amount of the SSDI derivative benefit paid to the child shall be subtracted from the child support obligation. If the SSDI derivative benefit is less than the child support obligation, the order shall be set at the difference between the child support obligation and the SSDI derivative benefit. If the SSDI derivative benefit is greater than the child support obligation, the order shall be set at zero.
  (2) If the judicial officer finds that SSDI derivative benefits were paid to a child subject to the support order prior to the filing of the petition to establish or motion to modify child support, these benefits shall be credited toward any retroactive child support or accumulated arrears owed pursuant to the support order.
(m) As the last calculation in the determination of child support, the judicial officer shall calculate a low-income adjustment to ensure that the parent with a legal duty to pay support is able to satisfy personal subsistence needs after the payment of child support. The judicial officer shall apply this low-income adjustment after additions to and deductions from the parent’s share of the basic child support obligation have been made pursuant to subsections (i) through (l) of this section. The low-income adjustment shall be calculated as follows:
  (1) Calculate a child support obligation for the parent with a legal duty to pay support according to subsections (f) and (i) through (l) of this section.
  (2) Determine the parent’s maximum ability to pay child support by subtracting the self-support reserve from the parent’s adjusted gross income. If the remainder is negative or less than $900 per year., apply subsection (g) of this section to determine the parent’s child support obligation.
  (3) If the parent’s maximum ability to pay child support calculated under paragraph (2) of this subsection is greater than or equal to $900 per year., compare the parent’s maximum ability to pay child support to the child support obligation calculated in paragraph (1) of this subsection. The parent’s child support obligation shall be the lesser of these 2 amounts.
  (4) (A) If under paragraph (3) of this subsection, the parent with a legal duty to pay support would pay less than the child support obligation calculated pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection, the judicial officer may consider whether:
      (i) The parent to whom support is owed would be able to meet his or her subsistence needs; and
      (ii) Whether the children would face extreme hardship if this amount were ordered.
    (B) The judicial officer, after considering the factors set forth in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, may deviate from the amount calculated pursuant to paragraph (3) of this subsection; provided, that any deviation upward shall not exceed the basic child support obligation calculated pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection.
(n) The child support obligation, including additions for health insurance premiums, extraordinary medical expenses, and child care expenses, shall not exceed 35% of the adjusted gross income of the parent with a legal duty to pay support.
(o) (1) If the parties present a consent order, an agreement that is to become an order, or a written agreement that is to be merged in an order, the judicial officer shall examine the child support provisions of the agreement, and compare the child support provisions to the guideline. If the amount of child support agreed upon is different from the amount of child support that would be ordered presumptively upon application of the guideline, the judicial officer shall determine if the agreed-upon level of child support is fair and just. If the parties are represented by counsel, the judicial officer shall inquire whether the attorneys informed the clients of the guideline. If the clients have not been informed of the guideline, the judicial officer shall advise the attorneys to do so. If a party is not represented by an attorney, the judicial officer shall ensure that the party is aware of the child support amount that the court would order presumptively pursuant to the guideline.
  (2) The propriety of a departure from the guideline based on the consent of the parties shall be justified in writing with a statement of the factors that form the basis for the judicial officer’s finding that the departure is fair and just. A transcript filed in the jacket shall suffice as a writing.
(p) Application of the guideline shall be presumptive. The guideline shall be applied unless its application would be unjust or inappropriate in the circumstances of the particular case. The propriety of any departure from the guideline under this subsection shall be justified in writing with a statement of the factors that form the basis for the judicial officer’s finding that the guideline amount is unjust or inappropriate. A transcript filed in the jacket shall suffice as a writing. The factors that may be considered to overcome the presumption are:
  (1) The needs of the child are exceptional and require more than average expenditures;
  (2) The gross income of the parent with a legal duty to pay support is substantially less than that of the parent to whom support is owed;
  (3) A property settlement provides resources readily available for the support of the child in an amount at least equivalent to the guideline amount;
  (4) Either parent supports a dependent other than a child subject to the support order, including a biological or adoptive child, a step-child, or an elderly relative, and application of the guideline would result in extraordinary hardship;
  (5) The parent with a legal duty to pay support needs a temporary period of reduced child support payments to permit the repayment of a debt or rearrangement of the parent’s financial obligations; a temporary reduction may be included in a support order if:
    (A) The debt or obligation is for a necessary expenditure of reasonable cost in light of the parent’s family responsibilities;
    (B) The time of the reduction does not exceed 12 months; and
    (C) The support order includes the amount that is to be paid at the end of the reduction period and the date that the higher payments are to commence;
  (6) The parent to whom support is owed receives child support for a child living in this parent’s home, other than the child subject to the support order, and the resulting gross income of the household to which support is owed causes the standard of living of that household to be greater than that of the household of the parent with a legal duty to pay support. For the purposes of this paragraph, the standard of living of a household shall be measured by dividing the gross income available to the household from all sources by the federal poverty guideline, as reported by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, for the number of adults contributing to the household, plus the number of children;
  (7) A child subject to the support order has regular and substantial income that can be used for the care of the child without impairment of the child’s current or future education;
  (8) The parent with a legal duty to pay support has special needs that increase the costs of the parent’s subsistence;
  (9) The parent with a legal duty to pay support pays for certain expensive necessities for the child, such as tuition;
  (10) The parent with a legal duty to pay support is 18 years old or younger and a full-time student;
  (11) The child is a respondent in a neglect proceeding and has been placed outside the home with a goal of reunification with the parent; or
  (12) Any other exceptional circumstance that would yield a patently unfair result.
(q) (1) Where a child spends 35% or more of the time during the year with each parent, there shall be a presumption that the parents have shared physical custody of the child. The child support obligation shall be calculated according to the following procedure:
    (A) Determine the adjusted basic child support obligation by calculating the basic child support obligation pursuant to subsection (f)(2) of this section and multiplying it by 1.5.
    (B) Determine each parent’s proportionate share of the adjusted basic child support obligation based on each parent’s share of combined adjusted gross income.
    (C) Determine the amount of child support to be retained by each parent by multiplying each parent’s share of the adjusted basic child support obligation by the percentage of time the child spends with the relevant parent.
    (D) Subtract the amount of child support to be retained by each parent from the relevant parent’s share of the adjusted basic child support obligation to determine the amount of each parent’s child support obligation.
    (E) The parent owing the greater amount under subparagraph (D) of this paragraph shall be the parent with a legal duty to pay support, and shall pay the difference between the 2 amounts to the other parent.
    (F) Additions to and deductions from the parents’ respective shares of the adjusted basic child support obligation determined under subparagraph (D) of this paragraph, shall be made as specified in subsections (i) through (l) of this section.
    (G) A child support obligation calculated based on shared physical custody shall not exceed the amount that the parent with a legal duty to pay support would pay if this parent’s child support obligation were calculated based on the other parent’s sole custody pursuant to subsection (f) of this section.
  (2) Where the presumption of shared physical custody does not apply because the child does not spend 35% or more of the time during the year with each parent, the judicial officer shall presumptively calculate the child support obligation based on sole physical custody pursuant to subsection (f) of this section.
  (3) If the presumption of shared physical custody applies pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection, either parent may rebut this presumption by proving that the method of calculating the child support obligation based on shared physical custody would be unjust or inappropriate because of the parents’ particular arrangements for the custody of the child. If a parent rebuts this presumption, the judicial officer shall calculate the child support obligation based on sole physical custody pursuant to subsection (f) of this section.
  (4) If the presumption of shared physical custody does not apply pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection, either parent may rebut the presumption that the support obligation should be calculated based on sole physical custody pursuant to subsection (f) of this section by proving that use of that method would be unjust or inappropriate based on the parents’ particular arrangements for the custody of the child and that a calculation based on shared physical custody would yield a fair and just result. If a parent rebuts the presumption that the child support obligation should be calculated based on sole physical custody under this paragraph, the judicial officer shall calculate the child support obligation based on shared physical custody pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection.
  (5) Where a parent has challenged the applicability of either method for calculating the child support obligation under this subsection, the judicial officer shall issue written factual findings stating the reason for using either the shared custody or sole custody method of calculation.
  (6) Worksheet (B) in Appendix III may be used to calculate the child support obligation under this subsection.
(r) A support order issued under this section or section 46-204, shall be subject to modification by application of the guideline subject to the following conditions or limitations:
  (1) The parents in a child support proceeding shall exchange relevant information on finances or dependents every 3 years and shall be encouraged to update a support order voluntarily using the updated information and the guideline. Relevant information is any information that is used to compute child support pursuant to the guideline.
  (2) Every 3 years, in cases being enforced under title IV, part D of the Social Security Act, approved January 4, 1975 (88 Stat. 2351; 42 U.S.C. § 651 et seq.), the IV-D agency shall notify both parents of the right to a review, and, if appropriate, a modification of the support order under the guideline. The IV-D agency shall conduct the review in all cases where there is an assignment of support rights pursuant to § 4-205.19 , and at the request of either parent in all other cases. If the IV-D agency conducts a review, the IV-D agency shall inform both parents if a modification is warranted under the guideline, and shall petition for a modification of the support order when there is an assignment of support rights or if requested by a parent.
  (3) If a support order does not provide for the payment of medical expenses for each child subject to the support order, at the request of a party or the IV-D agency, the court shall modify the support order to provide for the payment of such expenses in accordance with section 16-916.
  (4) (A) There shall be a presumption that there has been a substantial and material change of circumstances that warrants a modification of a support order if application of the guideline to the current circumstances of the parents results in an amount of child support that varies from the amount of the existing support order by 15% or more. The presumption is rebutted by:
      (i) Proof of special circumstances, such as a circumstance that would justify a departure from the guideline; or
      (ii) Proof of substantial reliance on the original support order issued prior to the adoption of or revision to the guideline, and that application of the guideline would yield a patently unjust result.
    (B) If a change to the guideline results in a support order that differs from the current support order by 15% or more, the presumption stated in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall apply, and the current order may be modified without any additional showing of a change in circumstances.
    (C) Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to limit the ability of a parent to seek a modification of a support order upon a showing of a material and substantial change in the needs of the child or the ability of the parent with a legal duty to pay support to pay, regardless of whether this change results in a support order that differs by 15% or more from the current order.
  (5) In cases being enforced under title IV, part D of the Social Security Act, approved January 4, 1975 (88 Stat. 2371; 42 U.S.C. § 651 et seq.), upon receipt of notice and documentation establishing that a parent is incarcerated in a specific facility (except where the parent is incarcerated for contempt for failure to pay child support pursuant to section 46-225.02), the IV-D agency shall review the circumstances of both parents and determine if a modification of the support order is appropriate under the guideline. If the IV-D agency determines that a parent’s incarceration has resulted in a change in financial circumstances warranting a modification of the support order, the IV-D agency may request the court to suspend or modify the support order pursuant to this subsection. Upon receipt of such a request, the court shall modify the support order in accordance with the guideline. The court may modify the support order from the date on which the IV-D agency received notice under this paragraph of the parent’s incarceration.
  (6) The basic child support obligation, as adjusted by additions and deletions made pursuant to subsections (i) through (l) of this section, shall be used to compute the amount of child support the guideline would yield for modification and to apply the test for the presumption.
  (7) If a support order is issued after September 27, 1987, and the amount of the support order differs from the guideline, by order of the court or by a merged agreement of the parties, the presumption shall not apply within one year of the issuance of the support order.
  (8) If a motion to modify a support order pursuant to this section is accompanied by an affidavit that sets forth sufficient facts and guideline calculations, and is accompanied by proof of service upon the respondent, the judicial officer may enter an order modifying the support order in accordance with the guideline unless a party requests a hearing within 30 days of service of the motion for modification. No support order shall be modified without a hearing if a hearing is timely requested.
  (9) Notwithstanding paragraphs (3) through (6) of this subsection, a party may submit a praecipe with a certification of waiver and supporting documentation, as prescribed by the court, to modify the child support amount by agreement of the parties at any time. This agreement shall be reviewed by a judicial officer for issuance of a revised support order in the same manner as an original agreement of the parties is reviewed.
  (10) The judicial officer shall justify any departure from the guideline in writing with a statement of the factors that form the basis for the finding that the guideline amount is unjust or inappropriate. A transcript filed in the jacket shall suffice as a writing.
  (11) Notwithstanding paragraph (4)(B) of this subsection, if a new child is born to the parents, the guideline shall be applied to the entire family and one order shall be issued for all the children in the family. If possible, the 2 cases shall be consolidated if child support for the last child is petitioned as a separate case.
  (12) Nothing in this subsection shall preclude a party from moving to modify a support order at any other time.
(s) A support order shall not be deemed invalid on the sole basis that the support order was issued pursuant to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia Child Support Guideline and prior to the effective date of the Child Support Guideline Amendment Emergency Act of 1989, effective December 21, 1989 (D.C. Act 8-127; 37 DCR 3).
(t) Upon the occurrence of a substantial and material change in circumstances sufficient to warrant the modification of a child support obligation pursuant to the guideline, the judicial officer may modify any provision of an agreement or settlement relating to child support, without regard to whether the agreement or settlement is entered as a consent order or is incorporated or merged in a court order.
(u) If an order or agreement providing for child support does not set forth a date on which the child support commences, the child support shall be deemed to commence on the first day of the first month following the date the order was entered or the date the agreement was executed, whichever is later in time. If the relevant date falls on the first day of a month, the order shall be deemed to commence on that day.
(v) (1) When a case is brought to establish child support, the judicial officer may award retroactive child support for a period not to exceed the 24 months preceding the filing of the petition or request for child support, unless the parent to whom support is owed proves that the parent with a legal duty to pay support has acted in bad faith or there are other extraordinary circumstances warranting an award of retroactive child support beyond the 24-month period. Upon this showing, the judicial officer may award retroactive child support for a period that exceeds the 24 months prior to the filing of the petition or request for child support. The judicial officer shall issue written factual findings stating the reason for awarding retroactive child support beyond the 24 month period.
  (2) Retroactive child support shall be determined by calculating the guideline using the parents’ incomes during the retroactive period and by considering the current ability to pay of the parent with a legal duty to pay support according to subsections (g) and (m) of this section.
  (3) If the parent with a legal duty to pay support made voluntary payments or contributions to the child’s expenses during the retroactive period, and proves these payments or contributions, the judicial officer shall credit the payments or contributions against an award of retroactive child support.
(w) The Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations contained in Appendix I shall be used to determine child support under the guideline.
(x) The worksheets contained in Appendices II and III may be used to calculate child support obligations under the guideline. Refer to Worksheet B in Appendix III to calculate child support in cases involving shared physical custody pursuant to subsection (q) of this section. Refer to Worksheet A in Appendix II to calculate child support in all other cases.
(y) The Mayor shall recommend to the Council every 4 years whether the dollar values in subsections (g)(3), (h), (j)(1), (m)(2), and (m)(3) of this section should adjusted for inflation.
D.C. Code § 16-4603.13 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 46 / § 16-4603.13
§ 16-4603.13. Recognition and enforcement.
Status: in_force

A court of the District shall accord full faith and credit to an order issued by a court of another state and consistent with this chapter which enforces a child-custody determination by a court of another state unless the order has been vacated, stayed, or modified by a court having jurisdiction to do so under subchapter II of this chapter .
D.C. Code § 16-4019 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 40 / § 16-4019
§ 16-4019. Limits of privilege.
Status: in_force

(a) There is no privilege under § 16-4017 for a collaborative law communication that is:
  (1) Available to the public under the District of Columbia Public Records Management Act of 1985, effective September 5, 1985 ( D.C. Law 6-19 ; D.C. Official Code § 2-1701 et seq.), or made during a session of a collaborative law process that is open, or is required by law to be open, to the public;
  (2) A threat or statement of a plan to inflict bodily injury or commit a crime of violence;
  (3) Intentionally used to plan a crime, commit or attempt to commit a crime, or conceal an ongoing crime or ongoing criminal activity;
  (4) In an agreement resulting from the collaborative law process evidenced by a record signed by all parties to the agreement; or
  (5) A disclosure in a report of suspected domestic violence to an appropriate agency under subchapter I of Chapter 10 of this title .
(b) The privileges under § 16-4017 for a collaborative law communication do not apply to the extent that a communication is:
  (1) Sought or offered to prove or disprove a claim or complaint of professional misconduct or malpractice arising from or related to a collaborative law process; or
  (2) Sought or offered to prove or disprove abuse, neglect, abandonment, or exploitation of a child or adult, unless the District of Columbia is a party to or otherwise participates in the process.
(c) There is no privilege under § 16-4017 if the tribunal finds, after a hearing in camera, that the party seeking discovery or the proponent of the evidence has shown the evidence is not otherwise available, the need for the evidence substantially outweighs the interest in protecting confidentiality, and the collaborative law communication is sought or offered in:
in camera
  (1) A judicial proceeding involving a felony or misdemeanor; or
  (2) A proceeding seeking rescission or reformation of a contract arising out of the collaborative law process or in which a defense to avoid liability on the contract is asserted.
(d) If a collaborative law communication is subject to an exception under subsection (b) or (c) of this section, only the part of the communication necessary for the application of the exception may be disclosed or admitted.
(e) Disclosure or admission of evidence excepted from the privilege under subsection (b) or (c) of this section does not make the evidence or any other collaborative law communication discoverable or admissible for any other purpose.
(f) The privileges under § 16-4017 do not apply if the parties agree in advance in a signed record, or if a record of a proceeding reflects agreement by the parties, that all or part of a collaborative law process is not privileged. This subsection shall not apply to a collaborative law communication made by a person that did not receive actual notice of the agreement before the communication was made.
D.C. Code § 16-4602.04 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 46 / § 16-4602.04
§ 16-4602.04. Temporary emergency jurisdiction.
Status: in_force

(a) A court of the District has temporary emergency jurisdiction if the child is present in the District 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.
(b) 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 §§ 16-4602.01 through 16-4602.03 , 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 §§ 16-4602.01 through 16-4602.03 . If a child-custody proceeding has not been or is not commenced in a court of a state having jurisdiction under §§ 16-4602.01 through 16-4602.03 , a child-custody determination made under this section becomes a final determination, if it so provides, and the District becomes the home state of the child.
(c) 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 §§ 16-4602.01 through 16-4602.03 , any order issued by a court of the District under this section must specify in the order a period that the court considers adequate to allow the person seeking an order to obtain an order from the state having jurisdiction under §§ 16-4602.01 through 16-4602.03 . The order issued in the District remains in effect until an order is obtained from the other state within the period specified or the period expires.
(d) A court of the District which 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 §§ 16-4602.01 through 16-4602.03 , shall immediately communicate with the other court. A court of the District which is exercising jurisdiction pursuant to §§ 16-4602.01 through 16-4602.03 , 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 to resolve the emergency, protect the safety of the parties and the child, and determine a period for the duration of the temporary order.
D.C. Code § 16-1102 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 11 / § 16-1102
§ 16-1102. Failure of tenant to give notice to landlord.
Status: in_force

If a tenant, on whom a complaint in ejectment is served, fails to give notice thereof, without delay, to his landlord or the agent of the landlord, he shall forfeit and pay to the landlord the value of three years’ full rent of the premises, to be recovered by a civil action.
D.C. Code § 16-5611 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 56 / § 16-5611
§ 16-5611. Temporary order or award.
Status: in_force

(a) Before an arbitrator is selected and able to act, on motion of a party, the Superior Court may enter a temporary order under this title .
(b) After an arbitrator is selected:
  (1) The arbitrator may make a temporary award under this title ; and
  (2) If the matter is urgent and the arbitrator is not able to act in a timely manner or provide an adequate remedy, on motion of a party, the Superior Court may enter a temporary order.
(c) On motion of a party, before the Superior Court confirms a final award, the court under § 16-5616 , § 16-5618 , or § 16-5619 may confirm, correct, vacate, or amend a temporary award made under subsection (b)(1) of this section.
(d) On motion of a party, the Superior Court may enforce a subpoena or interim award issued by an arbitrator for the fair and expeditious disposition of the arbitration.
D.C. Code § 16-2399 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2399
§ 16-2399. Permanent guardianship subsidy.
Status: in_force

(a) To the extent that appropriated funds are available, the Mayor may make subsidy payments to a permanent guardian, irrespective of the permanent guardian’s state of residence, as needed on behalf of a child with special needs where the permanent guardian has the capability of providing the permanent family relationships needed by such child in all areas except financial, as determined by the Mayor. For the purposes of this section a “child with special needs” includes any child who is difficult to place in adoption because of age, race, ethnic background, physical or mental condition, or membership in a sibling group which should be placed together, or a child who, in all likelihood, would go without another permanent placement arrangement except for the acceptance of the child as a member of the permanent guardian’s family.
(b) For a permanent guardian to be eligible for subsidy payments under this section:
  (1) The child must be adjudicated neglected pursuant to section 16-2317;
  (2) The child must be committed to the legal custody of the Child and Family Services Agency;
  (3) Repealed; and
  (4) A subsidy payment agreement must be entered into by the Child and Family Services Agency and the permanent guardian.
(c) Subsidy payments allowed under this section may be paid, subject to the availability of appropriated funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this section, on a long-term basis to help a permanent guardian whose income is limited and likely to remain so, or on a time-limited basis to help a permanent guardian meet the cost of integrating a child into the family over a specified period of time.
(d) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, eligibility for subsidy payments under this section may continue during the period of the guardianship order until the child reaches 18 years of age.
  (2) For guardianships that are finalized on or after May 7, 2010, eligibility for subsidy payments under this section shall continue during the period of the guardianship order until the child reaches 21 years of age.
(e) No subsidy payment to a permanent guardian shall be made on behalf of any child with respect to whom a guardianship order has been entered by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, pursuant to this subchapter, before October 1, 2000.
(f) Once during each calendar year and at other times during the year when changed conditions and costs are deemed by the Mayor to warrant review, the Mayor shall review the need for continuing each permanent guardianship subsidy. A permanent guardian who is subject to a subsidy agreement under this section may request, in writing, at any time, for reasons set forth in the request, a review of the amount of the payment or the level of continuing payments. Such review shall begin not later than 30 days from the receipt of the request by the Mayor. At the time of a review, appropriate adjustments in payment shall be made based upon changes in the needs of the child. Any adjustment may be made retroactive to the date a request for review was received by the Mayor. If a request for review is not acted on within 30 days after it has been received by the Mayor, or if the Mayor modifies or terminates an agreement without the concurrence of all parties, any party to the agreement shall be entitled to a hearing under the applicable provisions of subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2 .
(g) The Mayor shall disseminate information to prospective permanent guardians as to eligibility for subsidy under this section.
(h) The Mayor shall keep such records as are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of permanent guardianship subsidies as a means of encouraging and promoting the placement of children with special needs with permanent guardians. The Mayor shall make an annual progress report which shall be open to public inspection. The report shall include the number of children placed with permanent guardians under subsidy payment agreements during the year preceding the annual report and the major characteristics of the children placed.
(i) Permanent guardianship subsidies shall be subject to the availability of appropriations. Nothing in this section shall be construed to create an entitlement to a permanent guardianship subsidy for any person.
(j) The Mayor, pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2 , may issues rules to implement the provisions of this section.
D.C. Code § 16-3543 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 35 / § 16-3543
§ 16-3543. Proceedings on default.
Status: in_force

If the defendant does not appear as required by a writ of quo warranto, after being served, the court may proceed to hear proof in support of the writ and render judgment accordingly.
D.C. Code § 16-4602.09 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 46 / § 16-4602.09
§ 16-4602.09. Information to be submitted to court.
Status: in_force

(a) In a child-custody proceeding, each party, in its first pleading or in an attached affidavit, shall give information, if reasonably ascertainable, under oath as to the child’s present address or whereabouts, the places where the child has lived during the last 5 years, and the names and present addresses of the persons with whom the child has lived during that period. The pleading or affidavit must state whether the party:
  (1) Has participated, as a party or witness or in any other capacity, in any other proceeding concerning the custody of or visitation with the child and, if so, identify the court, the case number, and the date of the child-custody determination, if any;
  (2) Knows of any proceeding that could affect the current proceeding, including proceedings for enforcement and proceedings relating to domestic violence, protective orders, termination of parental rights, and adoptions and, if so, identify the court, the case number, and the nature of the proceeding; and
  (3) Knows the names and addresses of any person not a party to the proceeding who has physical custody of the child or claims rights of legal custody or physical custody of, or visitation with, the child and, if so, the names and addresses of those persons.
(b) If the information required by subsection (a) of this section is not furnished, the court, upon motion of a party or its own motion, may stay the proceeding until the information is furnished.
(c) If the declaration as to any of the items described in subsection (a) (1) through (3) of this section is in the affirmative, the declarant shall give additional information under oath as required by the court. The court may examine the parties under oath as to details of the information furnished and other matters pertinent to the court’s jurisdiction and the disposition of the case.
(d) Each party has a continuing duty to inform the court of any proceeding in this or any other state that could affect the current proceeding.
(e) If a party alleges in an affidavit or a pleading under oath that the health, safety, or liberty of a party or child would be jeopardized by disclosure of identifying information, the information must be sealed and may not be disclosed to the other party or the public unless the court orders the disclosure to be made after a hearing in which the court takes into consideration the health, safety, or liberty of the party or child and determines that the disclosure is in the interest of justice.
D.C. Code § 16-5002 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 50 / § 16-5002
§ 16-5002. Criminal records check required for certain individuals.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 16-519 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 5 / § 16-519
§ 16-519. Defenses by garnishee.
Status: in_force

A garnishee in an attachment proceeding may make any defense available to the defendant in the action in which the garnishment is issued.
D.C. Code § 16-514 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 5 / § 16-514
§ 16-514. Credits or property held for two or more persons or in representative capacity.
Status: in_force

When a writ of attachment is served on a garnishee, and the garnishee holds a credit or property for two or more persons, including the person whose credit or property is sought to be attached, or holds a credit or property for a person as agent or trustee or in any other representative capacity without designation of the principal or beneficiary, the credit or property is not subject to withdrawal by any person, but shall be held by the garnishee until the attachment is dismissed or otherwise disposed of by the court. If the credit or property is condemned, payment or delivery thereof as ordered by the court is a complete discharge of the garnishee from all liability to any person in respect of the credit or property. The provisions of this section do not apply to a credit or property of a partnership.
D.C. Code § 16-101 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 1 / § 16-101
§ 16-101. Parties.
Status: in_force

An action of account shall and may be brought against the executor and administrator of every guardian, bailiff and receiver; and by one joint-tenant and tenant in common, his executors and administrators, against the other, as bailiff for receiving more than comes to his just share or proportion, and against the executor and administrator of such a joint-tenant or tenant in common.
D.C. Code § 16-1335 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 13 / § 16-1335
§ 16-1335. Availability of appropriations for purchase of excess property.
Status: in_force

When real property is purchased pursuant to this subchapter in excess of that needed for a particular project or improvement, appropriations available for the payment of the purchase price, costs, and expenses incident to the project or improvement may be used in the payment of the purchase price, costs, and expenses of excess real property purchased in connection with the project or improvement, as provided by this subchapter.
D.C. Code § 16-1105 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 11 / § 16-1105
§ 16-1105. Legal title in mortgagee or trustee; possession.
Status: in_force

It is not a bar to the plaintiff’s recovery in an action of ejectment that the legal title to the property claimed is outstanding in another as mortgagee or trustee under a mortgage or deed of trust to secure a debt, unless the mortgagee or trustee, or those claiming under him, has taken possession of the premises, or unless the defendant claims under the mortgagor or grantor in the deed of trust.
D.C. Code § 16-2354 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2354
§ 16-2354. Motions.
Status: in_force

(a) Except as provided by subsection (b)(3) of this section, a motion for the termination of the parent and child relationship may be filed by the District government or by the child through his or her legal representative.
(b) A motion for the termination of the parent and child relationship:
  (1) May be filed when the child who is the subject of the motion has been adjudicated neglected at least 6 months prior to the filing of the motion and the child is in the court-ordered custody of a department, agency, institution, or person other than the parent;
  (2) May be filed immediately when, despite reasonable efforts, the parent could not be located for the fact finding hearing and during the period from the child’s removal from the home to the fact finding hearing; and
  (3) Except as provided in subsections (c) and (g) of this section, shall be filed by the District government if:
    (A) The child has been in court-ordered custody under the responsibility of the District for 15 of the most recent 22 months;
    (B) The Division has determined the child to be abandoned;
    (C) A court of competent jurisdiction has determined that the parent has:
      (i) Committed murder of a child sibling or another child;
      (ii) Committed voluntary manslaughter of a child sibling or another child;
      (iii) Aided or abetted, attempted, conspired, or solicited to commit such a murder or such a voluntary manslaughter; or
      (iv) Committed a felony assault that has resulted in serious bodily injury to the child who is the subject of the petition, a child sibling, or another child; or
    (D) The Division has determined the child to be subject to intentional and severe mental abuse.
(c) The District government shall seek to be joined as a party to a motion filed by the child if any of the factors in subsection (b)(3) of this section apply and the child has filed an adoption petition.
(d) A motion for termination of the parent and child relationship shall include but not be limited to:
  (1) The name, sex, date and place of birth, and current placement of the child;
  (2) The name and title of the petitioner;
  (3) The name and address of the child’s parent;
  (4) A plain and concise statement of the facts and opinions on which the termination of the parent and child relationship is sought;
  (5) A specification as to the health of the child;
  (6) A statement as to the general prospects for or the barriers, if any, to the adoption of the child; and
  (7) A statement as to the various efforts taken by the moving party to locate the parent of the child.
(e) When any facts required pursuant to subsection (d) of this section are not known to the moving party, if he or she shall so state in the motion, or on a motion by any party, for good cause shown, the judge may direct the filing of a bill of particulars to inform the moving party of the precise nature of the allegations contained in the motion for the termination of the parent and child relationship.
(f) The Agency shall take steps to identify, recruit, process, and approve a qualified family for an adoption concurrently with the District government’s filing of the motion or its joinder to the petition.
(g) The District government need not file a motion if the Agency determines and has documented in the case plan that:
  (1) The child is being cared for by an approved kinship caregiver and adoption is not the child’s permanency plan;
  (2) A compelling reason for determining that filing such a motion would not be in the best interest of the child; or
  (3) The District has not offered or provided to the family of the child, consistent with the time period in the case plan, such services as the District deems necessary for the safe return of the child to the child’s home, if reasonable efforts are required to be made with respect to the child pursuant to § 4-1301.09a .
D.C. Code § 16-5628 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 56 / § 16-5628
§ 16-5628. Transitional provision.
Status: in_force

This chapter applies to arbitration of a family law dispute under an arbitration agreement made on or after [March 10, 2023]. If an arbitration agreement was made before [March 10, 2023], the parties may agree in a record that this chapter applies to the arbitration.
D.C. Code § 16-2341 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2341
§ 16-2341. Representation.
Status: in_force

(a) Where a public support burden has been incurred or is threatened, or where an individual seeks assistance pursuant to part D in title IV of the Social Security Act approved January 4, 1975 (88 Stat. 2351; 42 U.S.C. 651 et seq.), the Corporation Counsel or an assistant may bring a civil action in the Family Division to enforce support of any parent or child against an absent parent.
(b) In all cases over which the Division has jurisdiction under paragraphs (3), (4), (10), and (11) of section 11-1101, where the court deems it necessary and proper, an attorney shall be appointed by the court to represent the respondent.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to interfere with the right of an individual to file a civil action over which the Division has jurisdiction under the paragraphs of section 11-1101 referred to in subsection (b).
D.C. Code § 16-5302 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 53 / § 16-5302
§ 16-5302. Definitions.
Status: in_force

For the purposes of this chapter, the term:
(1) “Boundaries of the United States” means the geographic boundaries of the United States, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
(2) “Law” includes a District of Columbia statute, a judicial decision or order, an executive order, and an administrative rule, regulation, or order.
(3) “Record” means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form.
(4) “Sign” means, with present intent to authenticate or adopt a record,:
  (A) To execute or adopt a tangible symbol; or
  (B) To attach to or logically associate with the record an electronic symbol, sound, or process.
(5) “State” means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
(6) “Sworn declaration” means a declaration in a signed record given under oath. The term “sworn declaration” includes a sworn statement, verification, certificate, and affidavit.
(7) “Unsworn declaration” means a declaration in a signed record that is not given under oath, but is given under penalty of perjury.
D.C. Code § 16-4524 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 45 / § 16-4524
§ 16-4524. Severability.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 16-4210 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 42 / § 16-4210
§ 16-4210. International commercial mediation.
Status: in_force

(a) For the purposes of this section, the term:
  (1) “International commercial mediation” means an international commercial conciliation as defined in Article 1 of the Model Law.
  (2) “Model Law” means the Model Law on International Commercial Conciliation adopted by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law on June 28, 2002 and recommended by the United Nations General Assembly in a resolution (A/RES/57/18) dated November 19, 2002.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (c) and (d) of this section, if a mediation is an international commercial mediation, the mediation is governed by the Model Law.
(c) Unless the mediation parties agree in accordance with § 16-4202(c) that all or part of an international commercial mediation is not privileged, §§ 16-4203 , 16-4204 , and 16-4205 and any applicable definitions in § 16-4201 also apply to the mediation and nothing in Article 10 of the Model Law derogates from §§ 16-4203 , 16-4204 , and 16-4205 .
(d) If the parties to an international commercial mediation agree under Article 1, subsection (7) of the Model Law that the Model Law does not apply, this chapter applies.
D.C. Code § 16-2349 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2349
§ 16-2349. Inclusion of social security numbers in parentage records.
Status: in_force

The social security number of the parents and child who are parties to a parentage determination or acknowledgment shall be included in the Superior Court and IV-D agency records relating to the determination or acknowledgment.
D.C. Code § 16-831.06 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 8A / § 16-831.06
§ 16-831.06. Award of custody to third party.
Status: in_force

(a) The court shall award custody of the child to the third party upon determining:
  (1) The presumption in favor of parental custody has been rebutted; and
  (2) Custody with the third party is in the child’s best interests.
(b) The third party seeking custody shall bear the burden of rebutting the parental presumption by clear and convincing evidence.
(c) In any proceeding under this chapter, the court may appoint counsel for the parent of the child should the court deem it appropriate in the interest of justice. The court also may appoint a guardian ad litem for the child and counsel for the third party.
(d) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the court shall enter an order for any custody arrangement that is agreed to by the parents and the proposed custodian or custodians, including custody based on revocable parental consent, unless clear and convincing evidence indicates that the arrangement is not in the best interests of the child.
  (2) If one parent agrees and the other parent does not timely object after having been properly served with process and the proposed arrangement, the arrangement shall be deemed to be agreed to by the parents.
  (3) In any proceeding to assess a proposed arrangement under this subsection, the proposed custodian or custodians shall be full parties.
(e) If custody is awarded under this chapter to a third party, the court shall issue an order that provides for frequent and continuing contact between the parents and the child and encouraging love, affection, and contact between the child and the parents, unless the court determines that such an order is not in the best interest of the child.
D.C. Code § 16-2825 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 28 / § 16-2825
§ 16-2825. Mediation statements.
Status: in_force

(a) Each party shall submit a confidential mediation statement to the mediator no later than 10 days prior to the initial mediation session. The parties shall not send copies of the mediation statement to the clerk, the assigned judge, or the other parties.
(b) Unless not already stated in the complaint and answer, the mediation statement shall:
  (1) Include a brief summary of facts;
  (2) Identify the issues of law and fact in dispute and summarize the party’s position on those issues;
  (3) Discuss whether there are issues of law or fact the early resolution of which could facilitate early settlement or narrow the scope of the dispute;
  (4) Identify the attorney who will represent the party at the mediation session and the person with settlement authority who will attend the mediation session;
  (5) Include any documents or materials relevant to the case which may assist the mediator and advance the purposes of the mediation session; and
  (6) Present any other matters that may assist the mediator and facilitate the mediation.
(c) Mediation statements are intended solely to facilitate the mediation and shall not be filed with the court.
D.C. Code § 16-3547 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 35 / § 16-3547
§ 16-3547. Proceedings against corporate directors and trustees; judgment and order; enforcement.
Status: in_force

Where a quo warranto proceeding is against a director or trustee of a corporation and the court finds that at his election either illegal votes were received or legal votes rejected, or both, sufficient to change the result if the error is corrected, the court may render judgment that the defendant be ousted, and that the relator, if entitled to be declared elected, be admitted to the office, and the court may issue an order to the proper parties, being officers or members of the corporation, to admit him to the office. The judgment may require the defendant to deliver to the relator all books, papers, and other things in his custody or control pertaining to the office, and obedience to judgment may be enforced by attachment.
D.C. Code § 16-3905 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 39 / § 16-3905
§ 16-3905. Jury trial; demand; assignment to regular branch.
Status: in_force

In a case filed or pending in the Small Claims and Conciliation Branch in which a party entitled to a trial by jury files a demand therefor, the case shall be assigned to and tried in the regular branch of the civil division of the Court under the procedure provided for jury trials.
D.C. Code § 16-5626 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 56 / § 16-5626
§ 16-5626. Uniformity of application and construction.
Status: in_force

In applying and construing this chapter , consideration shall be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it.
D.C. Code § 16-504 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 5 / § 16-504
§ 16-504. Additional attachments.
Status: in_force

Upon the application of the plaintiff, his agent, or attorney, other attachments founded on the original affidavits may be issued from time to time, to be directed, executed, and returned in the same manner as the original, and without further publication, against a nonresident or absent defendant, and without additional bond, unless required by the court.
D.C. Code § 16-1901 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 19 / § 16-1901
§ 16-1901. Petition; issuance of writ.
Status: in_force

(a) A person committed, detained, confined, or restrained from his lawful liberty within the District, under any color or pretense whatever, or a person in his behalf, may apply by petition to the appropriate court, or a judge thereof, for a writ of habeas corpus, to the end that the cause of the commitment, detainer, confinement, or restraint may be inquired into. The court or the judge applied to, if the facts set forth in the petition make a prima facie case, shall forthwith grant the writ, directed to the officer or other person in whose custody or keeping the party so detained is returnable forthwith before the court or judge.
(b) Petitions for writs directed to Federal officers and employees shall be filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
(c) Petitions for writs directed to any other person shall be filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
D.C. Code § 16-5307 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 53 / § 16-5307
§ 16-5307. Uniformity of application and construction.
Status: in_force

In applying and construing this uniform act, consideration shall be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it.
D.C. Code § 16-1003 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 10 / § 16-1003
§ 16-1003. Petition for civil protection order; representation.
Status: in_force

(a) A person 16 years of age or older may petition the Domestic Violence Division for a civil protection order against a respondent who has allegedly committed or threatened to commit:
  (1) An intrafamily offense, where the petitioner is the victim, or, if the offense is punishable under § 22-1001 or § 22-1002 , where the victim is an animal that the petitioner owns, possesses, or controls;
  (2) Sexual assault, where the petitioner is the victim;
  (3) Trafficking in labor or commercial sex acts, as described in § 22-1833 , where the petitioner is the victim; or
  (4) Sex trafficking of children, as described in § 22-1834 , where the petitioner is the victim.
(b) A minor who is at least 13 years of age but less than 16 years of age may petition the Domestic Violence Division for a civil protection order against a respondent who has allegedly committed or threatened to commit:
  (1) An intrafamily offense, where the petitioner is the victim, or, if the offense is punishable under § 22-1001 or § 22-1002 , where the victim is an animal that the petitioner owns, possesses, or controls; provided, that the petitioner is an intimate partner;
  (2) Sexual assault, where the petitioner is the victim; provided, that the respondent does not have a significant relationship, as that term is defined in § 22-3001(10) , with the petitioner; or
  (3) Sex trafficking of children, as described in § 22-1834 , where the petitioner is the victim.
(c) A minor who is less than 13 years of age may not petition for a civil protection order on their own behalf.
(d) (1) The parent, legal guardian, legal custodian, or physical custodian of a minor may file a petition for a civil protection order on a minor's behalf.
  (2) The following individuals may, at the request of a minor 13 years of age or older, file a petition for a civil protection order on the minor's behalf:
    (A) A person 18 years of age or older to whom the minor is related by blood, adoption, legal custody, physical custody, marriage, or domestic partnership; or
    (B) A sexual assault youth victim advocate, as that term is defined in § 23-1907(14) .
(e) A minor's custodial parent, guardian, or custodian may not file a petition for a civil protection order against the minor.
(f) (1) The Office of Attorney General may:
    (A) If the petitioner is unable to petition on the petitioner's own behalf, intervene in a case and represent the interests of the District of Columbia at the request of the petitioner, a person petitioning on the petitioner's behalf, or a government agency; or
    (B) At the request of the petitioner or a person petitioning on the petitioner's behalf, provide individual legal representation to the petitioner in proceedings under this subchapter .
  (2) If the Office of the Attorney General intervenes in a case under paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection, the intervention shall continue until:
    (A) The court denies the petition for a civil protection order; or
    (B) The Office of the Attorney General withdraws from the intervention.
(g) The Domestic Violence Division may appoint attorneys to represent a party if the party:
  (1) Is a minor;
  (2) Is not represented by an attorney; and
  (3) The appointment would not unreasonably delay a determination on the issuance or denial of a temporary protection order or civil protection order.
(h) When computing a time period specified in this chapter or in an order issued under this chapter that is stated in days or a longer unit of time:
  (1) Exclude the day of the event that triggers the time period;
  (2) Count every day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays; and
  (3) Include the last day of the time period, but if the last day of the time period specified falls on a Saturday, Sunday, a legal holiday, or a day on which weather or other conditions cause the court to be closed, the time period specified shall continue to run until the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday, or a day on which weather or other conditions cause the court to be closed.
D.C. Code § 16-549 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 5 / § 16-549
§ 16-549. Attachment of money or property in hands of executor or administrator.
Status: in_force

An attachment may be levied upon money or property of the defendant in the hands of an executor or administrator, and binds the same from the time of service. If the executor or administrator makes return to the writ that he can not certainly answer whether the defendant’s share of the money or property in his hands will prove sufficient to pay the plaintiff’s debt, a judgment of condemnation may not be rendered as against the executor or administrator until the passage by the Superior Court of his final or other account showing money or property in his hands to which the defendant is entitled.
D.C. Code § 16-5308 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 53 / § 16-5308
§ 16-5308. Relation to Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act.
Status: in_force

This chapter modifies, limits, and supersedes the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, approved June 30, 2000 (114 Stat. 464; 15 U.S.C. § 7001   et seq.), but does not modify, limit, or supersede section 101(c) of that act (15 U.S.C. § 7001(c)  ), or authorize electronic delivery of any of the notices described in section 103(b) of that act (15 U.S.C. § 7003(b)  ).
D.C. Code § 16-528 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 5 / § 16-528
§ 16-528. Judgment protects garnishee.
Status: in_force

A judgment of condemnation against a garnishee, and execution thereon, or payment by the garnishee in obedience to the judgment or an order of the court, is a sufficient defense to any action brought against him by the defendant in the action in which the attachment is issued, for or concerning the property or credits so condemned.
D.C. Code § 16-2802 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 28 / § 16-2802
§ 16-2802. Notice of intention to file suit.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person who intends to file an action in the court alleging medical malpractice against a healthcare provider shall notify the intended defendant of his or her action not less than 90 days prior to filing the action. Notice may be given by service on an intended defendant at his or her last known address registered with the appropriate licensing authority. Upon a showing of a good faith effort to give the required notice, the court may excuse the failure to give notice within the time prescribed.
(b) The notice required in subsection (a) of this section shall include sufficient information to put the defendant on notice of the legal basis for the claim and the type and extent of the loss sustained, including information regarding the injuries suffered. Nothing herein shall preclude the person giving notice from adding additional theories of liability based upon information obtained in court-conducted discovery or adding injuries or loss which become known at a later time.
(c) A legal action alleging medical malpractice shall not be commenced in the court unless the requirements of this section have been satisfied.
D.C. Code § 16-2381 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2381
§ 16-2381. Purpose of the subchapter; construction of provisions.
Status: in_force

The general purpose of this subchapter is to:
(1) Encourage stability in the lives of certain children who have been adjudicated to be neglected and have been removed from the custody of their parent by providing judicial procedures for the creation of a permanent guardianship in the circumstances set forth in this subchapter;
(2) Ensure that the constitutional rights of all parties are recognized and enforced in all proceedings conducted pursuant to this subchapter while ensuring that the fundamental needs of children are not subjugated to the interests of others; and
(3) Increase the opportunities for the prompt permanent placement of children, especially with relatives, without ongoing government supervision.
D.C. Code § 16-501 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 5 / § 16-501
§ 16-501. Attachment before judgment; affidavit and bond.
Status: in_force

(a) This section applies to any civil action in the United States District Court of the District of Columbia or the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, for the recovery of:
  (1) specific personal property;
  (2) a debt; or
  (3) damages for the breach of a contract, express or implied.
(b) In an action specified by subsection (a) of this section, the plaintiff, his agent, or attorney, may file an affidavit as provided by subsections (c) and (d) of this section either at the commencement of the action or pending the action.
(c) The affidavit shall comply with the following requirements:
  (1) show the grounds of plaintiff’s claim;
  (2) set forth that plaintiff has a just right to recover what is claimed in his complaint;
  (3) where the action is to recover specific personal property, state the nature and, according to affiant’s belief, the value of the property and the probable amount of damages to which plaintiff is entitled for the detention thereof;
  (4) where the action is to recover a debt, state the amount thereof; and
  (5) where the action is to recover damages for breach of a contract set out, specifically and in detail, the breach complained of and the actual damage resulting therefrom.
(d) The affidavit shall also state one of the following facts with respect to defendant:
  (1) defendant is a foreign corporation or is not a resident of the District, or has been absent therefrom for at least six months;
  (2) he evades the service of ordinary process by concealing himself or temporarily withdrawing himself from the District;
  (3) he has removed or is about to remove some or all of his property from the District, so as to defeat just demands against him;
  (4) he has assigned, conveyed, disposed of, or secreted, or is about to assign, convey, dispose of, or secrete his property with intent to hinder, delay, or defraud his creditors; or
  (5) he fraudulently contracted the debt or incurred the obligation respecting which the action is brought.
(e) Before a writ of attachment and garnishment is issued, the plaintiff shall first file in the clerk’s office a bond, executed by himself or his agent, with security to be approved by the clerk, in twice the amount of his claim, conditioned to make good to the defendant all costs and damages which he may sustain by reason of the wrongful suing out of the attachment; except that in any case in which the plaintiff states in his affidavit that the value of specified property to be levied upon is less than the amount of his claim, the court may set the amount of such bond in an amount twice the value of the property being attached, and, notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (f) of this section, only the property so specified shall be levied upon; provided, that the United States marshal may, in his discretion, when levying upon such property, have the same appraised by an independent appraiser retained by the marshal at the expense of the plaintiff. Any such appraisal shall be made at the time the marshal levies upon the property, and the appraiser shall accompany him for such purpose. If such appraisal has been made, then only such property as may have a value not exceeding one-half of the amount of the bond shall be attached. In the event the appraised value of the property shall be more than one-half of the amount of the bond, the marshal may refuse to execute the writ unless and until the amount of the bond is increased so as to be at least twice the value of the property to be attached.
(f) If the plaintiff files an affidavit and bond as provided by this section, the clerk shall issue a writ of attachment and garnishment, to be levied upon as much of the lands, tenements, goods, chattels, and credits of the defendant as may be necessary to satisfy the claim of the plaintiff.
D.C. Code § 16-4406 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 44 / § 16-4406
§ 16-4406. Validity of agreement to arbitrate.
Status: in_force

(a) An agreement contained in a record to submit to arbitration any existing or subsequent controversy arising between the parties to the agreement is valid, enforceable, and irrevocable except upon a ground that exists at law or in equity for the revocation of a contract.
(b) The court shall decide whether an agreement to arbitrate exists or a controversy is subject to an agreement to arbitrate.
(c) An arbitrator shall decide whether a condition precedent to arbitrability has been fulfilled and whether a contract containing a valid agreement to arbitrate is enforceable.
(d) If a party to a judicial proceeding challenges the existence of, or claims that a controversy is not subject to, an agreement to arbitrate, the arbitration proceeding may continue pending final resolution of the issue by the court, unless the court otherwise orders.
D.C. Code § 16-4801 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 48 / § 16-4801
§ 16-4801. Findings.
Status: in_force

The Council of the District of Columbia finds that:
(1) Existing custody law does not provide adequately for the needs of a parent who is terminally ill, who is periodically incapable of caring for the needs of a child due to the parent's incapacity or debilitation resulting from illness, or who may be subject to an adverse immigration action, and who desires to make long-term plans for the future of a child without terminating or limiting in any way the parent’s legal rights.
(2) Children are becoming unnecessarily involved in adversarial court proceedings or are without legally sanctioned caretakers because their parents who may be ill or subject to an adverse immigration action cannot or will not permanently or temporarily transfer care, custody, or control of their children to another person if such a transfer requires any limitation of the custodial parent’s rights.
D.C. Code § 16-5504 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 55 / § 16-5504
§ 16-5504. Fees and costs.
Status: in_force

(a) The court may award a moving party who prevails, in whole or in part, on a motion brought under § 16-5502 or § 16-5503 the costs of litigation, including reasonable attorney fees.
(b) The court may award reasonable attorney fees and costs to the responding party only if the court finds that a motion brought under § 16-5502 or § 16-5503 is frivolous or is solely intended to cause unnecessary delay.
D.C. Code § 16-2343 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2343
§ 16-2343. Tests to establish parentage.
Status: in_force

(a) When the Division has jurisdiction of actions or proceedings under section 11-1101, the court, on its own motion, may require, or, on the motion of a party, any signatory to an acknowledgement of paternity or adjudication, the child whose parentage is at issue, or another individual who puts forth sufficient facts to claim they may be the biological parent of the child, shall require, the child and all other parties to submit to medical or genetic tests, unless:
  (1) A party has established or is awaiting determination of a claim of good cause for failure to cooperate with paternity establishment pursuant to section 4-217.09;
  (2) A legal finding of paternity has been made pursuant to the laws and procedures of another state;
  (3) [Repealed].
  (4) The child was conceived through artificial insemination and the donor is not a parent pursuant to § 16-909(e)(2) ; or
  (5) The child has a presumed parent under § 16-909(a)(1) through (4) or § 16-909(a-1)(2) and no proceeding to rebut the presumption was filed within the time provided in § 16-2342(c) or (d).
(a-1) (1) When a child does not have a presumed parent under § 16-909(a)(1) through (4) or § 16-909(a-1)(2) , the IV-D agency shall require the child and all other parties to submit to medical or genetic tests, subject to exemptions for good cause pursuant to section 4-217.09, if:
    (A) A party submits a sworn statement alleging paternity and setting forth facts establishing a reasonable possibility of the requisite sexual contact between the parties; or
    (B) A party contests an original test result and seeks additional testing, upon request and advance payment by the contestant.
  (2) In all other cases in which a child does not have a presumed parent under § 16-909(a)(1) through (4) or § 16-909(a-1)(2) , the IV-D agency may require the child and all other parties to submit to medical or genetic tests when paternity is contested, subject to exemptions for good cause pursuant to section 4-217.09.
(b) (1) Tests shall be performed by persons qualified as examiners of genetic markers present in the human body.
  (2) The examiners may be appointed by the court, the IV-D agency, or chosen by consent of the parties.
(c) (1) Except as provided pursuant to subsection (a-1)(1)(B) of this section, the costs of any medical or genetic tests ordered by the IV-D agency shall be paid by the IV-D agency, subject to recoupment from the putative father if paternity is established. The costs of any medical or genetic tests not ordered by the IV-D agency, and the costs of any expert witness appointed by the court shall be paid by the parties.
  (2) The court may order that the District of Columbia pay the costs upon a finding that the alleged parent does not have sufficient resources to pay the costs.
D.C. Code § 16-545 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 5 / § 16-545
§ 16-545. Multiple attachments against same judgment debtor.
Status: in_force

Only one attachment upon goods, chattels, and credits of a judgment debtor may be satisfied at one time. Where more than one such attachment issued against the same judgment debtor is served on a garnishee the attachments shall be satisfied in the order in which they were served upon the garnishee. This section does not apply with respect to an attachment upon wages to which subchapter III of this chapter applies.
D.C. Code § 16-4604.09 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 46 / § 16-4604.09
§ 16-4604.09. Warrant to take physical custody of child.
Status: in_force

(a) If a petition under this subchapter contains allegations, and the court finds that there is a credible risk that the child is imminently likely to be wrongfully removed, the court may issue an ex parte warrant to take physical custody of the child.
(b) The respondent on a petition under subsection (a) of this section shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard at the earliest possible time after the ex parte warrant is executed, but not later than the next judicial day unless a hearing on that date is impossible. In that event, the court shall hold the hearing on the first judicial day possible.
(c) An ex parte warrant under subsection (a) of this section to take physical custody of a child shall:
  (1) Recite the facts upon which a determination of a credible risk of imminent wrongful removal of the child is based;
  (2) Direct law enforcement officers to take physical custody of the child immediately;
  (3) State the date and time for the hearing on the petition; and
  (4) Provide for the safe interim placement of the child pending further order of the court.
(d) If feasible, before issuing a warrant and before determining the placement of the child after the warrant is executed, the court may order a search of the relevant databases of the National Crime Information Center system and similar state databases to determine if either the petitioner or respondent has a history of domestic violence, stalking, or child abuse or neglect.
(e) The petition and warrant shall be served on the respondent when or immediately after the child is taken into physical custody.
(f) A warrant to take physical custody of a child, issued by this state or another state, is enforceable throughout this state. If the court finds that a less intrusive remedy will not be effective, it may authorize law enforcement officers to enter private property to take physical custody of the child. If required by exigent circumstances, the court may authorize law enforcement officers to make a forcible entry at any hour.
(g) If the court finds, after a hearing, that a petitioner sought an ex parte warrant under subsection (a) of this section for the purpose of harassment or in bad faith, the court may award the respondent reasonable attorney’s fees, costs, and expenses.
(h) This subchapter does not affect the availability of relief allowed under the law of this state other than this subchapter.
D.C. Code § 16-4602.10 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 46 / § 16-4602.10
§ 16-4602.10. Appearance of parties and child.
Status: in_force

(a) In a child-custody proceeding in the District, the court may order a party to the proceeding who is in the District to appear before the court in person, with or without the child. The court may order any person who is in the District and who has physical custody or control of the child to appear in person with the child.
(b) If a party to a child-custody proceeding whose presence is desired by the court is outside the District, the court may order that a notice given pursuant to section 16-4601.07 include a statement directing the party to appear in person, with or without the child, and informing the party that failure to appear may result in a decision adverse to the party.
(c) The court may enter any orders necessary to ensure the safety of the child and of any person ordered to appear under this section.
(d) If a party to a child-custody proceeding who is outside the District is directed to appear under subsection (b) of this section or desires to appear personally before the court, with or without the child, the court may require another party to pay reasonable and necessary travel and other expenses of the party so appearing and of the child.
D.C. Code § 16-2841 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 28 / § 16-2841
§ 16-2841. Inadmissibility of benevolent gestures.
Status: in_force

For the purpose of any civil action or administrative proceeding alleging medical malpractice against a healthcare provider, an expression of sympathy or regret made in writing, orally, or by conduct made by or on behalf of the healthcare provider to a victim of the alleged medical malpractice, any member of the victim’s family, or any individual who claims damages by or through that victim, is inadmissible as an admission of liability. Nothing herein shall preclude the court from permitting the introduction of an admission of liability into evidence.
D.C. Code § 16-4407 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 44 / § 16-4407
§ 16-4407. Motion to compel or stay arbitration.
Status: in_force

(a) On motion of a person showing an agreement to arbitrate and alleging another person’s refusal to arbitrate pursuant to the agreement:
  (1) If the refusing party does not appear or does not oppose the motion, the court shall order the parties to arbitrate; and
  (2) If the refusing party opposes the motion, the court shall proceed summarily to decide the issue and order the parties to arbitrate unless it finds that there is no enforceable agreement to arbitrate.
(b) On motion of a person alleging that an arbitration proceeding has been initiated or threatened but that there is no agreement to arbitrate, the court shall proceed summarily to decide the issue. If the court finds that there is an enforceable agreement to arbitrate, it shall order the parties to arbitrate.
(c) If the court finds that there is no enforceable agreement, it may not, pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section, order the parties to arbitrate.
(d) The court may not refuse to order arbitration because the claim subject to arbitration lacks merit or grounds for the claim have not been established.
(e) If a party makes a motion to the court to order arbitration, the court, on just terms, shall stay any judicial proceeding that involves a claim alleged to be subject to the arbitration until the court renders a final decision under this section.
(f) If the court orders arbitration, the court, on just terms, shall stay any judicial proceeding that involves a claim subject to the arbitration. If a claim subject to the arbitration is severable, the court may limit the stay to that claim.
D.C. Code § 16-2361 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2361
§ 16-2361. Effect of termination decree.
Status: in_force

(a) An order terminating the parent and child relationship divests the parent and the child of all legal rights, powers, privileges, immunities, duties and obligations with respect to each other, except the right of the child to inherit from his or her parent. The right of inheritance of the child shall be terminated only by a final order of adoption.
(b) When an order terminating the parent and child relationship has been issued, the parent whose right has been terminated shall not thereafter be entitled to notice of proceedings for the adoption of the child by another nor shall such parent have any right to object to the adoption or otherwise to participate in the proceedings.
D.C. Code § 16-2393 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2393
§ 16-2393. Confidentiality of records.
Status: in_force

The provisions of sections 16-2332   and 16-2333   shall apply to all records and files that are created pursuant to proceedings under this subchapter.
D.C. Code § 16-4005 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 40 / § 16-4005
§ 16-4005. Beginning and concluding collaborative law process.
Status: in_force

(a) A collaborative law process begins when the parties sign a collaborative law participation agreement.
(b) The tribunal may not order a party to participate in a collaborative law process over that party’s objection.
(c) A collaborative law process is concluded by:
  (1) The resolution of a collaborative matter as evidenced by a signed record;
  (2) The resolution of a part of the collaborative matter, evidenced by a signed record, in which the parties agree that the remaining parts of the matter will not be resolved in the process; or
  (3) The termination of the process.
(d) A collaborative law process terminates:
  (1) When a party gives notice to other parties in a record that the process is ended; or
  (2) When a party:
    (A) Begins a proceeding related to a collaborative matter without the agreement of all parties; or
    (B) In a pending proceeding related to the matter:
      (i) Initiates a pleading, motion, order to show cause, or request for a conference with the tribunal;
      (ii) Requests that the proceeding be put on the tribunal’s calendar; or
      (iii) Takes similar action requiring notice to be sent to the parties; or
  (3) Except as otherwise provided by subsection (g) of this section, when a party discharges a collaborative lawyer or a collaborative lawyer withdraws from further representation of a party.
(e) A party’s collaborative lawyer shall give prompt notice to all parties in a record of a discharge or withdrawal.
(f) A party may terminate a collaborative law process with or without cause.
(g) Notwithstanding the discharge or withdrawal of a collaborative lawyer, a collaborative law process continues, if not later than 30 days after the date that the notice of the discharge or withdrawal of a collaborative lawyer required by subsection (e) of this section is sent to the parties:
  (1) The unrepresented party engages a successor collaborative lawyer; and
  (2) In a signed record:
    (A) The parties consent to continue the process by reaffirming the collaborative law participation agreement;
    (B) The agreement is amended to identify the successor collaborative lawyer; and
    (C) The successor collaborative lawyer confirms the lawyer’s representation of a party in the collaborative process.
(h) A collaborative law process does not conclude if, with the consent of the parties, a party requests the tribunal to approve a resolution of the collaborative matter or any part thereof as evidenced by a signed record.
(i) A collaborative law participation agreement may provide additional methods of concluding a collaborative law process.
D.C. Code § 16-5610 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 56 / § 16-5610
§ 16-5610. Party participation.
Status: in_force

(a) A party may:
  (1) Be represented in an arbitration by an attorney;
  (2) Be accompanied by an individual who will not be called as a witness or act as an advocate; and
  (3) Participate in the arbitration to the full extent permitted under the law and procedural rules of the District other than this chapter governing a party's participation in contractual arbitration.
(b) A party or representative of a party may not communicate ex parte with the arbitrator except to the extent allowed in a family law proceeding for communication with a judge.
D.C. Code § 16-4415 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 44 / § 16-4415
§ 16-4415. Arbitration process.
Status: in_force

(a) An arbitrator may conduct an arbitration in such manner as the arbitrator considers appropriate for a fair and expeditious disposition of the proceeding. The authority conferred upon the arbitrator includes the power to hold conferences with the parties to the arbitration proceeding before the hearing and, among other matters, determine the admissibility, relevance, materiality, and weight of any evidence.
(b) An arbitrator may decide a request for summary disposition of a claim or particular issue:
  (1) If all interested parties agree; or
  (2) Upon request of one party to the arbitration proceeding if that party gives notice to all other parties to the proceeding, and the other parties have a reasonable opportunity to respond.
(c) (1) If an arbitrator orders a hearing, the arbitrator shall set a time and place and give notice of the hearing not less than 5 days before the hearing begins. Unless a party to the arbitration proceeding makes an objection to lack or insufficiency of notice not later than the beginning of the hearing, the party’s appearance at the hearing waives the objection.
  (2) Upon request of a party to the arbitration proceeding and for good cause shown, or upon the arbitrator’s own initiative, the arbitrator may adjourn the hearing from time to time, as necessary, but may not postpone the hearing to a time later than that fixed by the agreement to arbitrate for making the award unless the parties to the arbitration proceeding consent to a later date.
  (3) The arbitrator may hear and decide the controversy upon the evidence produced although a party who was duly notified of the arbitration proceeding did not appear.
  (4) The court, on request, may direct the arbitrator to conduct the hearing promptly and render a timely decision.
(d) At a hearing under subsection (c) of this section, a party to the arbitration proceeding has a right to be heard, to present evidence material to the controversy, and to cross-examine witnesses appearing at the hearing.
(e) If an arbitrator ceases or is unable to act during the arbitration proceeding, a replacement arbitrator shall be appointed in accordance with § 16-4411 to continue the proceeding and to resolve the controversy.
D.C. Code § 16-5601 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 56 / § 16-5601
§ 16-5601. Short title.
Status: in_force

This chapter may be cited as the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act.
D.C. Code § 16-4014 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 40 / § 16-4014
§ 16-4014. Appropriateness of collaborative law process.
Status: in_force

Before a prospective party signs a collaborative law participation agreement, a prospective collaborative lawyer shall:
(1) Assess with the prospective party factors the lawyer reasonably believes relate to whether a collaborative law process is appropriate for the prospective party’s matter;
(2) Provide the prospective party with information that the lawyer reasonably believes is sufficient for the party to make an informed decision about the material benefits and risks of a collaborative law process as compared to the material benefits and risks of other reasonably available alternatives for resolving the proposed collaborative matter, such as litigation, mediation, arbitration, or expert evaluation; and
(3) Advise the prospective party that:
  (A) If, after signing an agreement, a party initiates a proceeding or seeks intervention by the tribunal in a pending proceeding related to the collaborative matter, the collaborative law process terminates;
  (B) Participation in a collaborative law process is voluntary and any party has the right to terminate unilaterally a collaborative law process with or without cause; and
  (C) The collaborative lawyer and any lawyer in a law firm with which the collaborative lawyer is associated may not appear before the tribunal to represent a party in a proceeding related to the collaborative matter, except as authorized by § 16-4009(c) , § 16-4010(b) , or § 16-4011(b) .
D.C. Code § 16-4901 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 49 / § 16-4901
§ 16-4901. Authorization for medical consent for a minor by an adult caregiver.
Status: in_force

(a) A parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian may authorize an adult person, in whose care a minor has been entrusted, to consent to any medical, surgical, dental, developmental screening and/or mental health examination or treatment, including immunization, to be rendered to the minor under the supervision or upon the advice of a physician, nurse, dentist or mental health professional licensed to practice in the District of Columbia, provided there is no prior order of any court in any jurisdiction currently in effect which would prohibit the parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian from exercising the power that they seek to convey to another person. Medical, surgical and dental treatment or examination may include any x-ray or anesthetic required for diagnosis or treatment.
(b) Any written form that is signed by the parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian may be used to convey the authority described in subsection (a) of this section. The form shown below is offered as a sample only and its inclusion in this section shall not be construed to preclude the use of alternative language. Any written statement signed by a parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian is governed by the laws of forgery of the District of Columbia as they are outlined in §§ 22-3241 and 22-3242 .
(c) A conveyance of authority described in subsection (a) of this section which is consistent with the requirements of subsection (b) of this section shall be honored by any health care facility or practitioner described in subsection (e) of this section. Notwithstanding subsection (g) of this section, the existence of a written document conveying any authority described in subsection (a) of this section which is consistent with the requirements of subsection (b) of this section creates a presumption that the authority has been lawfully conveyed.
(d) A conveyance of authority described in this section is revocable at will, unless other terms are agreed to by the parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian and the person to whom authority is being conveyed. The parties may provide for terms in writing which would require the revocation of authority to be in writing, make revocation effective only when a specified time period has elapsed after notification of intent to revoke, or any other terms that the parties deem appropriate.
(e) A physician, surgeon, nurse, mental health professional, dentist, or other health care professional, or a hospital or medical facility, that relies on a written instrument that is consistent with the requirements of subsection (b) of this section which authorizes another adult to consent to medical treatment of the executor’s minor child or ward shall not incur civil liability for treating a minor without legal consent if a reasonable and prudent health care professional would have relied on the written instrument under the same or similar circumstances.
(f) This chapter is not intended to provide a substitute for protection proceedings conducted in the Family Division under Chapter 23 of this title .
(g) The execution of a document conveying any authority described in subsection (a) of this section shall not be binding in any future custody proceedings. Regardless of the execution of this document, any future custody determination shall be based on the best interests of the child or other applicable legal standard.
SUGGESTED FORM
1. ___  I am the parent of the child(ren) listed below and there are no court orders now in effect which would prohibit me from exercising the power that I now seek to convey; OR
___  I am the legal guardian or custodian of the child(ren) by court order (copy attached, if available) and there are no other court orders now in effect which would prohibit me from exercising the power that I now seek to convey.
2. I am temporarily entrusting to ____, an adult who resides at ____, the care of the following child(ren):
________________
Name        Date of Birth  Name  Date of Birth
________________
Name        Date of Birth  Name  Date of Birth
3. The caregiver named above may consent to medical, dental, surgical and/or mental health diagnosis and treatment for the child(ren).
4. I am giving this consent freely and knowingly in order to provide for the child(ren) and not due to pressure, threats, or payments by any person or agency.
5. Upon notification of intent to revoke, there shall be a period of __ hours before revocation takes effect. Notification of intent to revoke must be in writing.
(put a line through those provisions that are not applicable)
I hereby swear or affirm that the above statements are true, under penalty of law.
______________________
Name  Date
D.C. Code § 16-2316.01 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2316.01
§ 16-2316.01. Scheduling of fact finding and dispositional hearings for children alleged to be neglected.
Status: in_force

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b)(3) of this section, a fact finding hearing for a child alleged to be neglected shall be combined with the dispositional hearing.
(b) The fact finding and dispositional hearing for a child alleged to be neglected shall be held within the time limits provided in this subsection.
  (1) The fact finding and dispositional hearing shall be held within 45 days after the child’s entry into foster care or, if the child is not in foster care, within 45 days of the filing of the petition.
  (2) Upon motion of any party, for good cause shown, the fact finding and dispositional hearing of a child alleged to be neglected may be continued, and, as applicable, the child shall remain in shelter care, for up to an additional 30 days.
  (3) Following completion of the fact finding phase, if the child is found to be neglected, upon motion of any party, for good cause shown, the dispositional phase may be continued and, as applicable, the child shall remain in shelter care for up to an additional 15 days.
  (4) In determining whether good cause has been shown as required by paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, the Division shall take into account, among other appropriate matters, and shall state its findings on the record, whether:
    (A) There has been or will be a delay resulting from other proceedings concerning the child, including, but not limited to, examinations to determine the mental competency or physical capacity of the child or of a parent, guardian, or custodian, or from any interlocutory or expedited appeal;
    (B) Any essential witness is absent or unavailable, meaning that his or her whereabouts are unknown or cannot be determined by due diligence or that his or her presence for the hearing cannot be obtained by due diligence; or any essential witness is otherwise unavailable;
    (C) Despite the exercise of due diligence, necessary medical examinations, drug analysis, or other scientific tests have not been completed; or
    (D) The best interests and safety of the child are best served by continuing the period of shelter care.
(c) Notwithstanding subsection (b)(2) and (3) of this section, the dispositional hearing for a child found to be neglected shall be held within 45 days after the child’s entry into foster care, or if the child is not in foster care, within 45 days of the filing of the petition.
D.C. Code § 16-3109 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 31 / § 16-3109
§ 16-3109. Compelling performance of duties by personal representatives, special administrators, etc.; revocation of letters.
Status: in_force

The Probate Court may order a personal representative, special administrator, guardian, or testamentary trustee, who appears to be in default in respect to the rendering of an inventory or account or the fulfillment of a duty in the court, to be summoned to appear therein and fulfill his duty in the premises, on pain of revocation of his power to act. On his appearance, the court may make such order as is just. On his failure to appear, after having been duly summoned, the court may revoke his power to act and make such further order and other appointment as justice requires. If the summons to appear is returned by the marshal “not to be found,” an alias summons shall be mailed to the last-known post-office address of the fiduciary or served upon his attorney of record, if he is within the jurisdiction of the court. On the failure of the fiduciary to appear, the court may revoke his power to act and make such further order and other appointment as justice requires.
D.C. Code § 16-4521 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 45 / § 16-4521
§ 16-4521. Preservation of documents for use in other states.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 16-2332 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2332
§ 16-2332. Juvenile social records; confidentiality; inspection and disclosure.
Status: in_force

(a) For the purposes of this section, the term “juvenile social records” means all social records made with respect to a child in any proceedings over which the Family Court has jurisdiction under section 11-1101(13), including preliminary inquiries, predisposition studies, and examination reports.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this section and in section 16-2333.01, juvenile social records shall be kept confidential and shall not be open to inspection.
(c) Subject to the limitations of subsection (e) of this section, the following persons and entities may inspect juvenile social records:
  (1) Courts:
    (A) Judges and professional staff of the Superior Court; and
    (B) Any court or its probation staff, for purposes of sentencing the child as a defendant in a criminal case;
  (2) Family Court case participants:
    (A) The Attorney General and his assistants assigned to the Family Court;
    (B) The respondent and any attorney for the respondent without regard to the age of the respondent at the time of the inspection and without regard to the existence of a pending Family Court case; and
    (C) Public or private agencies or institutions providing supervision or treatment, or having custody of the child, if the supervision, treatment, or custody is under the order of the Family Court;
  (3) Other court case participants and law enforcement:
  Law enforcement officers of the United States, the District of Columbia, and other jurisdictions, except that such records shall be limited to photographs of the child, a physical description of the child, any addresses where the child may be found, and the phone number or other contact information of the child or the child's parents, guardians, or custodians. The confidentiality of any information disclosed to law enforcement officers pursuant to this subsection shall be maintained pursuant to § 16-2333 ;
  (4) Government agencies and entities:
    (A) Professional employees of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services when necessary for the discharge of their official duties;
    (B) The Child and Family Services Agency when necessary for the discharge of its official duties;
    (C) The Child Fatality Review Committee for the purposes of examining past events and circumstances surrounding deaths of children in the District of Columbia or of children who are either residents or wards of the District of Columbia, or for the discharge of its official duties;
    (D) Authorized personnel in the Mayor's Family Court Liaison, the Department of Health, the Department of Behavioral Health, the Child and Family Services Agency, the Department of Human Services, the District of Columbia Public Schools, public charter schools, parochial schools, and private schools, and the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia for the purpose of:
      (i) The delivery of services to:
        (I) Individuals under the jurisdiction of the Family Court, or their families; and
        (II) Youth who have been diverted by law enforcement, by the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, or pursuant to [§ 16-2305.02] ; or
      (ii) Monitoring recidivism and the efficacy of services provided to:
        (I) Individuals under the jurisdiction of the Family Court; and
        (II) Youth who have been diverted by law enforcement, by the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, or pursuant to [§ 16-2305.02] ; and
    (E) The Violence Fatality Review Committee for the purposes of examining past events and circumstances surrounding suicides and homicides, as that term is defined in [§ 5-1431.01(e)] , or for the discharge of its official duties.
  (5) Other persons having a professional interest in the protection, welfare, treatment, and rehabilitation of the respondent or of a member of the respondent’s family, or in the work of the Family Court, if authorized by rule or special order of the court.
(d) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section and in section 16-2333.01, records inspected pursuant to subsection (c) of this section may not be divulged to unauthorized persons.
  (2) (A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subsection, health and human services information contained with juvenile social records may be divulged for the purposes of and in accordance with [Chapter 2A Title 7].
    (B) For the purposes of this paragraph, the term “health and human services information” shall have the same meaning as provided in [ § 7-241(3) ].
(e) Notwithstanding subsections (b) and (c) of this section, the Superior Court may by rule or special order provide that particular items or classes of items in juvenile social records shall not be open to inspection except pursuant to rule or special order; but, in dispositional proceedings after an adjudication, no item considered by the judge (other than identification of the sources of confidential information) shall be withheld from inspection:
  (1) In delinquency or need of supervision cases, by the attorney for the child; or
  (2) In neglect cases, by the attorney for the child and an attorney for the parent, guardian, or other custodian of the child.
(f) The Superior Court may by rule or special order provide procedures for the inspection or copying of juvenile social records by persons entitled to inspect them. No person receiving any record or information pursuant to this section may publish or use it for any purpose other than that for which it was received without a special order of the court.
(g) (1) Notwithstanding subsections (b), (c), (d), or (e) of this section, for every respondent committed to the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (“Department”) pursuant to section 16-2320(c)(2) who has been adjudicated of:
    (A) A crime of violence (as defined in section 23-1331(4));
    (B) A weapons offense;
    (C) Unauthorized use of a vehicle;
    (D) Theft in the first degree where property obtained or used is a motor vehicle (as defined in section 22-3215(a)); or
    (E) Adjudicated 3 or more times, the Mayor may direct the Director of the Department (“Director”) to provide notice to the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (“Chief)” of any assignment or placement of the respondent in a Department facility or residential or other placement, including any facility operated by a contractor or agent, as soon as practicable prior to the assignment or placement.
  (2) Notwithstanding subsections (b), (c), (d), or (e) of this section, for any respondent who is detained or committed to the Department, the Director shall provide notice to the Chief of any respondent who has absconded or escaped from any Department facility, or residential or other placement, including any facility or placement operated by an agent or contractor, within one hour of the absconding or escaping.
  (3) Notice issued pursuant to this subsection shall include the following information, as applicable:
    (A) Respondent’s name and date of birth;
    (B) Last known address of the respondent;
    (C) Last known address of the respondent’s parents, guardians, caretakers, and custodians;
    (D) Address to which the respondent will be assigned, placed, or released and the name and address of the person into whose custody the respondent will be placed if the respondent is not placed into a Department facility; and
    (E) A recent photograph of the respondent, if available.
  (4) The Chief shall utilize information obtained from the Director and may disclose such information to law enforcement persons or law enforcement entities only as necessary to preserve public safety or the safety of the respondent. The Chief shall not otherwise disclose this information, except as authorized by this section.
  (5) If the Chief discloses information pursuant to paragraph (4) of this subsection, the Chief shall notify the recipient that the information may only be re-disclosed to law enforcement officers and only to the extent necessary to preserve public safety or the safety of the respondent. The Chief shall notify the recipient of the information that any other use or disclosure of the information shall be governed by this section and sections 16-2331 and 16-2333, and that unauthorized re-disclosure may be prosecuted under section 16-2336. Any violation of this paragraph will result in an investigation of the violation by the Inspector General of the District of Columbia.
  (6) The Chief may make additional case-specific inquiries to the Mayor based on information disclosed under paragraph (1) of this subsection. The Mayor may direct the Director to provide such additional information, when requested by the Chief, but only as necessary to protect public safety or the safety of the respondent.
(h) No person shall disclose, inspect, or use records in violation of this section.
D.C. Code § 16-4310 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 43 / § 16-4310
§ 16-4310. Fees and expenses of arbitration.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 16-4601.05 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 46 / § 16-4601.05
§ 16-4601.05. Effect of child-custody determination.
Status: in_force

A child-custody determination made by a court of the District that had jurisdiction under this chapter binds all persons who have been served in accordance with the laws of the District or notified in accordance with § 16-4601.07 or who have submitted to the jurisdiction of the court, and who have been given an opportunity to be heard. As to those persons, the determination is conclusive as to all decided issues of law and fact except to the extent the determination is modified.
D.C. Code § 16-4502 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 45 / § 16-4502
§ 16-4502. Definitions.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 16-4002 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 40 / § 16-4002
§ 16-4002. Definitions.
Status: in_force

For the purposes of this chapter, the term
(1) “Collaborative law communication” means a statement, whether oral or in a record, or verbal or nonverbal, that:
  (A) Is made to conduct, participate in, continue, or reconvene a collaborative law process; and
  (B) Occurs after the parties sign a collaborative law participation agreement and before the collaborative law process is concluded.
(2) “Collaborative law participation agreement” means an agreement by persons to participate in a collaborative law process.
(3) “Collaborative law process” means a procedure intended to resolve a collaborative matter without intervention by a tribunal in which persons:
  (A) Sign a collaborative law participation agreement; and
  (B) Are represented by collaborative lawyers.
(4) “Collaborative lawyer” means a lawyer who represents a party in a collaborative law process.
(5) “Collaborative matter” means a dispute, transaction, claim, problem, or issue for resolution, including a dispute, claim, or issue in a proceeding, which is described in a collaborative law participation agreement and arises under the family or domestic relations law of the District of Columbia, including:
  (A) Marriage, divorce, dissolution, annulment, and property distribution;
  (B) Child custody, visitation, and parenting time;
  (C) Alimony, maintenance, and child support;
  (D) Adoption;
  (E) Parentage; and
  (F) Premarital, marital, and post-marital agreements.
(6) “Family member” means a person:
  (A) With whom an individual shares or has shared a mutual residence; or
  (B) Who is related to an individual by blood, adoption, or legal custody; or
  (C) Who is or was married to, in a domestic partnership with, divorced or separated from, or in a romantic, dating, or sexual relationship with an individual.
(7) “Law firm” means:
  (A) Lawyers who practice law together in a partnership, professional corporation, sole proprietorship, limited liability company, or association; and
  (B) Lawyers employed in a legal services organization, or the legal department of a corporation or other organization, or the legal department of a government or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality.
(8) “Nonparty participant” means a person, other than a party and the party’s collaborative lawyer, that participates in a collaborative law process.
(9) “Party” means a person that signs a collaborative law participation agreement and whose consent is necessary to resolve a collaborative matter.
(10) “Person” means an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity.
(11) “Proceeding” means a proceeding before a tribunal, including related prehearing and post-hearing motions, conferences, and discovery.
(12) “Prospective party” means a person that discusses with a prospective collaborative lawyer the possibility of signing a collaborative law participation agreement.
(13) “Record” means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form.
(14) “Related to a collaborative matter” means involving the same parties, transaction or occurrence, nucleus of operative fact, dispute, claim, or issue as the collaborative matter.
(15) “Sign” means, with present intent to authenticate or adopt a record:
  (A) To execute or adopt a tangible symbol; or
  (B) To attach to or logically associate with the record an electronic symbol, sound, or process.
(16) “Tribunal” means a court, administrative agency, or other body acting in an adjudicative capacity that, after presentation of evidence or legal argument, has jurisdiction to render a decision affecting a party’s interests in a matter.
D.C. Code § 16-582 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 5 / § 16-582
§ 16-582. Attachments to which this subchapter is applicable.
Status: in_force

This subchapter applies only with respect to attachments upon wages, as defined by section 16-571  , issued on or after 60 days from August 4, 1959. Unless otherwise specified, this subchapter does not apply to notices or orders to withhold issued pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 2 of Title 46 .
D.C. Code § 16-4316 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 43 / § 16-4316
§ 16-4316. Court.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 16-3107 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 31 / § 16-3107
§ 16-3107. Enforcement of judgments, orders and decrees; application of property sequestrated.
Status: in_force

The Probate Court may enforce its judgments, orders, decrees, and decisions in the manner provided by sections 16-3103   and 16-3104  . When a judgment, order, decree, or decision is for the payment of money, the court may apply the property sequestrated to the purpose for which the judgment, order, decree, or decision is given.
D.C. Code § 16-2346 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2346
§ 16-2346. Certificate to Registrar.
Status: in_force

(a) Upon entry of a final judgment determining the parentage of a child, the clerk of the court shall forward a certificate to the Registrar of the District of Columbia, or his authorized representative in the jurisdiction in which the child was born, giving the names of the persons adjudged to be the parents of the child.
(b) Repealed.
D.C. Code § 16-1005 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 10 / § 16-1005
§ 16-1005. Hearing; evidence; protection order.
Status: in_force

(a) Parties served with notice in accordance with § 16-1007 shall appear at the hearing.
(a-1) (1) In a case in which the Attorney General intervenes pursuant to [§ 16-1003(f)(1)(A)] , the petitioner is not a required party.
  (2) In a case in which an individual described in § 16-1003(d)(1) petitioned on behalf of a minor petitioner under the age of 13, the minor petitioner is not a required party.
  (3) In a case in which an individual described in § 16-1003(d)(2)(A) petitioned on behalf of a minor petitioner 13 years of age or older, the court shall consider the expressed wishes of the minor petitioner in deciding whether to issue an order pursuant to this section and in determining the contents of such an order.
(b) Notwithstanding section 14-306 , in a hearing under this section, one spouse shall be a competent and compellable witness against the other and may testify as to confidential communications, but testimony compelled over a claim of a privilege conferred by such section shall be inadmissible in evidence in a criminal trial over the objection of a spouse entitled to claim that privilege.
(c) If, after a hearing, the judicial officer finds that there is good cause to believe the respondent has committed or threatened to commit a criminal offense against the petitioner or an animal the petitioner owns, possesses, or controls, or with the consent of both parties, the judicial officer may issue a civil protection order that:
  (1) Directs the respondent to refrain from committing or threatening to commit criminal offenses against the petitioner and other individuals specified in the order;
  (2) Requires the respondent to stay away from or have no contact with the petitioner and any other individuals or locations specified in the order;
  (3) Requires the respondent to participate in psychiatric or medical treatment or appropriate counseling programs;
  (4) Directs the respondent to refrain from entering, or to vacate, the dwelling unit of the petitioner when the dwelling is:
    (A) Marital property of the parties;
    (B) Jointly owned, leased, or rented and occupied by both parties; provided, that joint occupancy shall not be required if the respondent’s actions caused the petitioner to relinquish occupancy;
    (C) Owned, leased, or rented by the petitioner individually; or
    (D) Jointly owned, leased, or rented by the petitioner and a person other than the respondent;
  (5) Directs the respondent to relinquish possession or use of certain personal property owned jointly by the parties or by the petitioner individually;
  (6) Awards temporary custody of a minor child or children of the parties, provided that:
    (A) If, after the hearing on the civil protection order, the judicial officer finds by a preponderance of the evidence that a contestant for custody has committed an intrafamily offense, any determination that custody is to be granted to the contestant who has committed the intrafamily offense shall be supported by a written statement by the judicial officer specifying factors and findings that support that determination; and.
    (B) The parent who has committed the intrafamily offense shall have the burden of proving that custody will not endanger the child or significantly impair the child's emotional development;
  (7) Provides for visitation rights with appropriate restrictions to protect the safety of the petitioner, provided that:
    (A) If, after the hearing on the civil protection order, the judicial officer finds by a preponderance of the evidence that a parent seeking visitation has committed an intrafamily offense, any determination that visitation is to be awarded to the parent who has committed the intrafamily offense shall be supported by a written statement by the judicial officer specifying factors and findings that support that determination, including how the child and custodial parent can be adequately protected from harm inflicted by the parent who has committed the intrafamily offense; and
    (B) The parent who has committed the intrafamily offense shall have the burden of proving that visitation will not endanger the child or significantly impair the child's emotional development;
  (8) Awards costs and attorney fees;
  (9) Orders the Metropolitan Police Department to take such action as the judicial officer deems necessary to enforce its orders;
  (10) Directs the respondent to relinquish possession of any firearms or ammunition and prohibits the respondent from having possession or control of, purchasing, or receiving any firearm or ammunition while the protection order is in effect.
  (10A) In connection with an animal owned, possessed, or controlled by the petitioner:
    (A) Directs the ownership, possession, or control of the animal; or
    (B) Orders the respondent to stay away from the animal and refrain from possessing, controlling, harming or threatening to harm, or otherwise disposing of the animal.
  (11) Directs the respondent to perform or refrain from other actions as may be appropriate to the effective resolution of the matter; or
  (12) Combines 2 or more of the preceding provisions.
(c-1) [Repealed].
(d) A civil protection order issued pursuant to this section shall remain in effect for an initial period not to exceed 2 years.
(d-1) (1) A judicial officer may, upon motion of any party to the original proceeding, extend, modify, or vacate an order for good cause shown.
  (2) Except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection, a finding that an order has been violated is not necessary for a finding of good cause to modify or extend an order.
  (3) For each request for an extension, the judicial officer may extend an order for the period of time the judicial officer deems appropriate, but before granting any single extension longer than 2 years, the judicial officer shall find:
    (A) That the respondent has violated the civil protection order;
    (B) That prior to obtaining the order being extended, the petitioner had previously obtained a civil protection order or foreign protection order as that term is defined in subchapter IV of this chapter against the same respondent; or
    (C) Other compelling circumstances related to the petitioner's safety or welfare.
(e) Any final order issued pursuant to this section and any order granting or denying a motion to extend, modify, or vacate such order shall be appealable.
(f) (1) Violation of any temporary protection order or civil protection order issued under this subchapter , or violation in the District of Columbia of any valid foreign protection order, as that term is defined in subchapter IV of this chapter , or respondent's failure to appear as required by subsection (a) of this section, shall be punishable as criminal contempt.
  (2) Upon conviction, criminal contempt shall be punished by a fine of not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 , imprisonment for not more than 180 days, or both.
(g) (1) Violation of any temporary protection order or civil protection order issued under this subchapter , or violation in the District of Columbia of any valid foreign protection order, as that term is defined in subchapter IV of this chapter , shall be chargeable as a misdemeanor.
  (2) Upon conviction, violation of a temporary protection order, civil protection order, or a valid foreign protection order shall be punished by a fine of not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 , imprisonment for not more than 180 days, or both.
(g-1) (1) No person shall be found to violate a temporary protection order, civil protection order, or valid foreign protection order as described in subsection (f)(1) or (g)(1) of this section, unless the person was personally served with or received actual notice of the temporary protection order, civil protection order, or valid foreign protection order.
  (2) Enforcement proceedings under subsection (f) or (g) of this section in which the respondent is a child, as that term is defined in § 16-2301(3) , shall be governed by subchapter I of Chapter 23 of this title .
(h) For purposes of establishing a violation under subsections (f) and (g) of this section, an oral or written statement made by a person located outside the District of Columbia to a person located in the District of Columbia by means of telecommunication, mail, or any other method of communication shall be deemed to be made in the District of Columbia.
(i) Violations of protection orders entered with the consent of the respondent but without an admission that the conduct occurred shall be punishable under subsection (f), (g), or (g-1) of this section.
D.C. Code § 16-3902 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 39 / § 16-3902
§ 16-3902. Commencement of action; form of statement; preparation by clerk; notice and service; costs; default; memorandum to plaintiff.
Status: in_force

(a) Actions shall be commenced in the Small Claims and Conciliation Branch by the filing of a statement of claim, in concise form and free of technicalities. The plaintiff or his agent shall verify the statement of claim by oath or affirmation in the form herein provided, or its equivalent, and shall affix his signature thereto. The clerk of the Branch shall, at the request of an individual, prepare the statement of claim and other papers required to be filed in an action in the Branch, but his services are not available to a corporation, partnership, or association, in the preparation of the statements or other papers. A copy of the statement of claim and verification shall be made a part of the notice to be served upon the defendant named therein. The mode of service shall be by the United States marshal, as provided by law, or by registered mail or by certified mail with return receipt, or by a person not a party to or otherwise interested in the action especially authorized by the Clerk of the Small Claims and Conciliation Branch or appointed by the judge for that purpose.
(b) When notice is to be served by registered mail or by certified mail, the clerk shall inclose a copy of the statement of claim, verification, and notice in an envelope addressed to the defendant, prepay the postage with funds obtained from plaintiff, and mail the papers forthwith, noting on the records the day and hour of mailing. When the receipt is returned, the clerk shall attach it to the original statement of claim, and it constitutes prima facie evidence of service upon the defendant.
(c) When notice is served by a private individual, as provided by subsection (a) of this section, he shall make proof of service by affidavit before the clerk, showing the time and place of the service.
(d) When notice is served by the marshal, or by registered mail or by certified mail, the actual cost of service is taxable as costs. When notice is served by an individual, the cost of service, if any, is not taxable as costs.
(e) The statement of claim, verification, and notice shall be in the following or equivalent form:
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SMALL CLAIMS AND CONCILIATION BRANCH
(Location of room in  (Address of
courthouse)  court)
Washington, D.C.
__________________
Plaintiff
__________________
Address  No. _______
vs.
__________________
Defendant
STATEMENT OF CLAIM
(Here the plaintiff, or at his request the clerk, will insert a statement of the plaintiff’s claim, and the original, to be filed with the clerk, may, if action is on a contract, express or implied, be verified by the plaintiff or his agent, as follows:)
District of Columbia, ss:
____________ being first duly sworn on oath says the foregoing is a just and true statement of the amount owing by defendant to plaintiff, exclusive of all set-offs and just grounds of defense.
__________________.
Plaintiff (or agent)
Subscribed and sworn to before me this ______ days of _______, 19__.
__________________.
Clerk (or notary public)
NOTICE
To: ____________
Defendant
____________
Home address
____________
Business address
You are hereby notified that ____________ has made a claim and is requesting judgment against you in the sum of _______ dollars ($__), as shown by the foregoing statement. The Court will hold a hearing upon this claim on ____________ at __m. in the Small Claims and Conciliation Branch (address of Court).
You are required to be present at the hearing in order to avoid a judgment by default.
If you have witnesses, books, receipts, or other writings bearing on this claim, you should bring them with you at the time of the hearing.
If you wish to have witnesses summoned, see the clerk at once for assistance.
If you admit the claim, but desire additional time to pay, you must come to the hearing in person and state the circumstances to the court.
You may come with or without an attorney.
[seal] __________________
Clerk of the Small Claims and
Conciliation Branch, Superior Court of the District of Columbia
(f) The foregoing verification entitles the plaintiff to a judgment by default, without further proof, upon failure of defendant to appear, if the claim of the plaintiff is for a liquidated amount. If the amount is unliquidated, the plaintiff shall be required to present proof of his claim.
(g) The clerk shall furnish the plaintiff with a memorandum of the day and hour set for the hearing, not less than 5 nor more than 30 days from the date of the filing of the action. Where, in a case controlled by another statute, a greater or lesser time for hearing is specified by the other statute, that specified time is controlling. All actions filed in the Branch shall be made returnable therein.
(h) Where the defendant is the District of Columbia or an officer or agency thereof, the Clerk shall schedule the hearing for a day that is not less than 30 days from the date of the filing of the action, service of a copy of the action on the Corporation Counsel to be completed within 15 days of filing.
D.C. Code § 16-2335.01 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2335.01
§ 16-2335.01. Motion to vacate adjudication or grant a new factfinding hearing on the ground of actual innocence.
Status: in_force

(a) A person adjudicated delinquent in the Superior Court may move the court to vacate the adjudication or to grant a new factfinding hearing on grounds of actual innocence based on new evidence.
(b) Notwithstanding the time limits in any other provision of law, a motion for relief under this section may be made at any time.
(c) The motion shall set forth specific, non-conclusory facts:
  (1) Identifying the specific new evidence;
  (2) Establishing how that evidence demonstrates that the movant is actually innocent despite having been adjudicated at a new factfinding hearing or having pled guilty; and
  (3) Establishing why the new evidence is not cumulative or impeaching.
(d) (1) The motion shall include an affidavit by the movant, under penalty of perjury, stating that movant is actually innocent of the crime that is the subject of the motion, and that the new evidence was not deliberately withheld by the movant for purposes of strategic advantage.
  (2) The denial of a motion for relief under this section shall not be admissible in any prosecution based on the filing of a false affidavit.
(e) (1) Unless the motion and files and records of the case conclusively show that the movant is entitled to no relief, the court shall cause notice thereof to be served upon the prosecuting authority, grant a prompt hearing thereon, determine the issues, and make findings of fact and conclusions of law with respect thereto.
  (2) The court may appoint counsel for an indigent movant under this section pursuant to Chapter 26 of Title 11 [ § 11-2601 et seq.].
  (3) The court may entertain and determine the motion without requiring production of the movant at the hearing.
  (4) A movant shall be entitled to invoke the processes of discovery available under Superior Court Rules of Juvenile Procedure or Civil Procedure, or elsewhere in the usages and principles of law if, and to the extent that, the judge, in the exercise of the judge’s discretion and for good cause shown, grants leave to do so, but not otherwise.
(f) A motion for relief made pursuant to this section may be dismissed if the government demonstrates that it has been materially prejudiced in its ability to respond to the motion by the delay in its filing, unless the movant shows that the motion is based on grounds which the movant could not have raised by the exercise of reasonable diligence before the circumstances prejudicial to the government occurred.
(g) (1) In determining whether to grant relief, the court may consider any relevant evidence, but shall consider the following:
    (A) The new evidence;
    (B) How the new evidence demonstrates actual innocence;
    (C) Why the new evidence is or is not cumulative or impeaching;
    (D) If the adjudication resulted from a factfinding hearing, and if the movant asserted a theory of defense inconsistent with the current claim of innocence, the specific reason the movant asserted an inconsistent theory at the factfinding hearing; and
    (E) If the adjudication resulted from a guilty plea, the specific reason the movant pleaded guilty despite being actually innocent of the crime.
  (2) If, after considering the factors in paragraph (1) of this subsection, the court concludes that it is more likely than not that the movant is actually innocent of the crime, the court shall grant a new factfinding hearing.
  (3) If, after considering the factors in paragraph (1) of this subsection, the court concludes by clear and convincing evidence that the movant is actually innocent of the crime, the court shall vacate the adjudication and dismiss the relevant count with prejudice.
  (4) If the adjudication resulted from a plea of guilty, and other charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, the court shall reinstate any charges of which the respondent has not demonstrated that the respondent is actually innocent.
(h) The court shall not be required to entertain a second or successive motion for similar relief on behalf of the same movant.
(i) An order entered on the motion is a final order for purposes of appeal.
D.C. Code § 16-4604.10 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 46 / § 16-4604.10
§ 16-4604.10. Duration of abduction prevention order.
Status: in_force

An abduction prevention order remains in effect until the earliest of:
(1) The time stated in the order;
(2) The emancipation of the child;
(3) The child’s attaining 18 years of age; or
(4) The time the order is modified, revoked, vacated, or superseded by a court with jurisdiction under §§ 16-4602.01 to 16-4602.03 .
D.C. Code § 16-3708 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 37 / § 16-3708
§ 16-3708. Motion for return of property; procedure; objection to sufficiency of security.
Status: in_force

(a) On the taking possession of the goods and chattels by the marshal by virtue of a writ of replevin, the defendant may, on one day’s notice to the plaintiff or his attorney, move for a return of the property to his possession. Thereupon, the court may inquire into the circumstances and manner of the defendant’s obtaining possession of the property, and, if it seems just, may order the property to be returned to the possession of the defendant, to abide the final judgment in the action. The court may require the defendant to enter into an undertaking with surety or sureties, similar to that required of the plaintiff upon the commencement of the action. In such case, the court shall render judgment against the surety or sureties, as well as against the defendant.
(b) When it appears that the possession of the property was forcibly or fraudulently obtained by the defendant, or that the possession, being first in the plaintiff, was procured or retained by the defendant without authority from the plaintiff, the court may refuse to order the return of the property to the possession of the defendant. The defendant may also, on similar notice, object to the sufficiency of the security in the undertaking of the plaintiff, and the court may require additional security, in default of which the property shall be returned to the defendant, but the action may proceed as if the property had not been taken.
D.C. Code § 16-1048 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 10 / § 16-1048
§ 16-1048. Transitional provision.
Status: in_force

This subchapter applies to protection orders issued before the effective date of this subchapter and to continuing actions for enforcement of foreign protection orders commenced before the effective date of this subchapter. A request for enforcement of a foreign protection order made on or after the effective date of this subchapter for violations of a foreign protection order occurring before the effective date of this subchapter is governed by this subchapter.
D.C. Code § 16-2934 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 29 / § 16-2934
§ 16-2934. Determination of value.
Status: in_force

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (b) through (d) of this section, the court shall determine the fair market value of the real property by ordering an appraisal pursuant to subsection (e) of this section.
(b) The court may accept a previously completed appraisal filed with the court as evidence of value; provided, that:
  (1) The appraisal is dated not earlier than 6 months before the filing of the action;
  (2) The appraisal was completed by a disinterested real estate appraiser licensed in the District; and
  (3) No party objects to the appraised value.
(c) If all cotenants have agreed to the value of the real property or to another method of valuation, the court shall adopt that value or the value produced by the method of valuation.
(d) If the court determines that the evidentiary value of an appraisal is outweighed by the cost of the appraisal, the court, after an evidentiary hearing, shall determine the fair market value of the real property and send notice to the parties of the value.
(e) (1) If the court orders an appraisal, the court shall appoint a disinterested real estate appraiser licensed in the District to determine the fair market value of the property assuming sole ownership of the fee simple estate.
  (2) On completion of the appraisal, the appraiser shall file a sworn or verified appraisal with the court.
(f) If an appraisal is conducted pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, not later than 10 days after the appraisal is filed, the court shall send notice to each party with a known address, stating:
  (1) The appraised fair market value of the real property;
  (2) That the appraisal is available at the court clerk's office; and
  (3) That a party may file with the court an objection to the appraisal not later than 30 days after the notice is sent, stating the grounds for the objection.
(g) (1) If an appraisal is filed with the court pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, the court shall conduct a hearing to determine the fair market value of the real property not sooner than 31 days after a copy of the notice of the appraisal is sent to each party pursuant to subsection (f) of this section, whether or not an objection to the appraisal is filed as described in subsection (f)(3) of this section.
  (2) In addition to the court-ordered appraisal, the court may consider any other evidence of value offered by a party.
(h) After a hearing conducted pursuant to subsection (g) of this section, but before considering the merits of the partition action, the court shall determine the fair market value of the real property and send notice to the parties of the value.
D.C. Code § 16-4421 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 44 / § 16-4421
§ 16-4421. Remedies; fees and expenses of arbitration proceeding.
Status: in_force

(a) An arbitrator may award punitive damages or other exemplary relief if such an award is authorized by law in a civil action involving the same claim and the evidence produced at the hearing justifies the award under the legal standards otherwise applicable to the claim.
(b) An arbitrator may award reasonable attorney’s fees and other reasonable expenses of arbitration if such an award is authorized by law in a civil action involving the same claim or by the agreement of the parties to the arbitration proceeding.
(c) As to all remedies other than those authorized by subsections (a) and (b) of this section, an arbitrator may order such remedies as the arbitrator considers just and appropriate under the circumstances of the arbitration proceeding. The fact that such a remedy could not or would not be granted by the court is not a ground for refusing to confirm an award under § 16-4422 or for vacating an award under § 16-4423 .
(d) An arbitrator’s reasonable expenses and fees, together with other expenses, shall be paid as provided in the award.
(e) If an arbitrator awards punitive damages or other exemplary relief under subsection (a) of this section, the arbitrator shall specify in the award the basis in fact justifying and the basis in law authorizing the award and state separately the amount of the punitive damages or other exemplary relief.
D.C. Code § 16-4425 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 44 / § 16-4425
§ 16-4425. Judgment on award; attorney’s fees and litigation expenses.
Status: in_force

(a) Upon granting an order confirming, vacating without directing a rehearing, modifying, or correcting an award, the court shall enter a judgment in conformity therewith. The judgment may be recorded, docketed, and enforced as any other judgment in a civil action.
(b) A court may allow reasonable costs of the motion and subsequent judicial proceedings.
(c) On application of a prevailing party to a contested judicial proceeding under § 16-4422 , 16-4423, or 16-4424, the court may add reasonable attorney’s fees and other reasonable expenses of litigation incurred in a judicial proceeding after the award is made to a judgment confirming, vacating without directing a rehearing, modifying, or correcting an award.
D.C. Code § 16-2399.03 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2399.03
§ 16-2399.03. Parties.
Status: in_force

Patries to a guardianship proceeding shall be the vulnerable youth, the proposed guardian, and the vulnerable youth's parents. The court may, at its discretion, on its own motion, or in response to a motion for joinder or intervention, join additional parties to a guardianship proceeding.
D.C. Code § 16-1318 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 13 / § 16-1318
§ 16-1318. Objections or exceptions to appraisement; new jury.
Status: in_force

(a) Objections or exceptions to an appraisement of the jury pursuant to section 16-1317 may be filed within twenty days after the return of the appraisement to the court. The court shall hear and determine any objections or exceptions so filed, and may vacate and set aside the appraisement, in whole or in part, when satisfied that it is unjust or unreasonable. If the appraisement is vacated and set aside, the court shall order the necessary number of new persons selected from the special jury list and, from among the persons so selected, shall appoint a new jury of five capable and disinterested persons who shall proceed as in the case of the first jury. The appraisement of the new jury shall be final when confirmed by the court.
(b) When an appraisement is vacated in part, the residue thereof as to the property condemned is not affected thereby.
D.C. Code § 16-4518 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 45 / § 16-4518
§ 16-4518. Taking testimony in another state.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 16-301 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 3 / § 16-301
§ 16-301. Jurisdiction; rules.
Status: in_force

(a) Subject to subsection (b) of this section, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia has jurisdiction to hear and determine petitions and decrees of adoption of any adult or child with authority to make such rules, not inconsistent with this chapter, as shall bring fully before the court for consideration the interests of the prospective adoptee, the natural parents, the petitioner, and any other properly interested party.
(b) Jurisdiction shall be conferred when any of the following circumstances exist:
  (1) petitioner is a legal resident of the District of Columbia;
  (2) petitioner has actually resided in the District for at least one year next preceding the filing of the petition;
  (3) the child to be adopted is in the legal care, custody, or control of the Mayor or a child-placing agency licensed under the laws of the District; or
  (4) the child to be adopted was born in the District of Columbia.
(c) The jurisdiction conferred upon the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by subsection (b)(4) of this section shall apply retroactively to all children born in the District of Columbia on or after July 18, 2009.
D.C. Code § 16-3542 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 35 / § 16-3542
§ 16-3542. Notice to defendant.
Status: in_force

On the issuing of a writ of quo warranto the court may fix a time within which the defendant may appear and answer the writ. When the defendant cannot be found in the District of Columbia, the court may direct notice to be given to him by publication as in other cases of proceedings against nonresident defendants, and upon proof of publication, if the defendant does not appear, judgment may be rendered as if he had been personally served.
D.C. Code § 16-4602.01 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 46 / § 16-4602.01
§ 16-4602.01. Initial child-custody jurisdiction.
Status: in_force

(a) Except as otherwise provided in § 16-4602.04 , a court of the District has jurisdiction to make an initial child-custody determination only if:
  (1) The District is the home state of the child on the date of the commencement of the proceeding, or was the home state of the child within 6 months before the commencement of the proceeding and the child is absent from the District, but a parent or person acting as a parent continues to live in the District;
  (2) A court of another state does not have jurisdiction under paragraph (1) of this subsection, or a court of the home state of the child has declined to exercise jurisdiction on the ground that the District is the more appropriate forum under §§ 16-4602.07 or 16-4602.08 , and:
    (A) The child and the child’s parents, or the child and at least one parent or a person acting as a parent, have a significant connection with the District other than mere physical presence; and
    (B) Substantial evidence is available in the District concerning the child’s care, protection, training, and personal relationships;
  (3) All courts having jurisdiction under paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection have declined to exercise jurisdiction on the ground that a court of the District is the more appropriate forum to determine the custody of the child under §§ 16-4602.07 or 16-4602.08 ; or
  (4) No court of any other state would have jurisdiction under the criteria specified in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of this subsection.
(b) Subsection (a) of this section is the exclusive jurisdictional basis for making a child-custody determination by a court of the District.
(c) Physical presence of, or personal jurisdiction over, a party or a child is not necessary or sufficient to make a child-custody determination.
D.C. Code § 16-4520 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 45 / § 16-4520
§ 16-4520. Assistance to courts of other states.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 16-1026 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 10 / § 16-1026
§ 16-1026. Expungement.
Status: in_force

Any parent convicted in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of violating any provision of this subchapter with respect to his or her child may apply to the court for an order to expunge from all official records all records relating to the conviction at such time that the parent’s youngest child has reached the age of 18 years, provided that the parent has no more than 1 conviction for a violation of this subchapter at the time that the application for expungement is made. Any other person convicted of violating the provisions of this subchapter may apply to the court for an order to expunge all records relating to the conviction 5 years after the conviction, or at such time as the child has reached the age of 18 years, whichever shall later occur, provided that the person has no more than 1 conviction for violating any provision of this subchapter at the time that the application for expungement is made.
D.C. Code § 16-4426 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 44 / § 16-4426
§ 16-4426. Jurisdiction.
Status: in_force

(a) A court of the District of Columbia having jurisdiction over the controversy and the parties may enforce an agreement to arbitrate.
(b) An agreement to arbitrate providing for arbitration in the District of Columbia confers exclusive jurisdiction on the court to enter judgment on an award under this chapter.
D.C. Code § 16-5606 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 56 / § 16-5606
§ 16-5606. Notice of arbitration.
Status: in_force

A party may initiate arbitration by giving notice to arbitrate to the other party in the manner specified in the arbitration agreement or, in the absence of a specified manner, under the law and procedural rules of the District other than this chapter governing contractual arbitration.
D.C. Code § 16-2342 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2342
§ 16-2342. Who may bring a complaint; time.
Status: in_force

(a) A proceeding to determine parentage may be brought by the District of Columbia, a person whose parentage of the child is to be adjudicated, a child’s mother, putative father, guardian, legal or physical custodian, the IV-D agency, the person whose parentage is to be determined, if an adult, or a licensed child-placing agency.
(b) A proceeding to determine parentage and provide for the support of a child with no presumed parent under § 16-909(a)(1) through (4) or § 16-909(a-1)(2) may be instituted after four months of pregnancy or at anytime until the child’s twenty-first birthday.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (d) of this section, a proceeding to rebut the presumption of parentage of a child having a presumed parent under § 16-909(a)(1) through (4) or § 16-909(a-1)(2) shall be commenced not later than 2 years after the birth of the child, after which time the presumption becomes conclusive.
(d) A proceeding seeking to disprove the parent-child relationship between a child and the child’s presumed parent under § 16-909(a)(1) through (4) or § 16-909(a-1)(2) may be maintained at any time if the court determines that the presumed parent did not live with the child’s mother during the 300 days before the birth of the child and never openly held out the child as his or her own.
D.C. Code § 16-2803 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 28 / § 16-2803
§ 16-2803. Extension of statute of limitations.
Status: in_force

If the notice required under § 16-2802 is served within 90 days of the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations, the time for the commencement of the action shall be extended 90 days from the date of the service of the notice.
D.C. Code § 16-4006 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 40 / § 16-4006
§ 16-4006. Proceedings pending before tribunal; status report.
Status: in_force

(a) Persons in a proceeding pending before the tribunal may sign a collaborative law participation agreement to seek to resolve a collaborative matter related to the proceeding. The parties shall file promptly with the tribunal a notice of the agreement after it is signed. Subject to subsection (c) of this section and §§ 16-4007 and 16-4008 , the filing operates as an application for a stay of the proceeding.
(b) The parties shall file promptly with the tribunal notice in a record when a collaborative law process concludes. The stay of the proceeding under subsection (a) of this section is lifted when the notice is filed. The notice may not specify any reason for termination of the process.
(c) The tribunal in which a proceeding is stayed under subsection (a) of this section may require the parties and collaborative lawyers to provide a status report on the collaborative law process and the proceeding. A status report may include only information on whether the process is ongoing or concluded. It may not include a report, assessment, evaluation, recommendation, finding, or other communication regarding a collaborative law process or collaborative law matter.
(d) The tribunal may not consider a communication made in violation of subsection (c) of this section.
(e) The court shall provide parties notice and an opportunity to be heard before dismissing a proceeding in which a notice of collaborative process is filed based on delay or failure to prosecute.
D.C. Code § 16-1905 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 19 / § 16-1905
§ 16-1905. Right to copy of commitment; forfeiture.
Status: in_force

A person committed or detained, or a person in his behalf, may demand a true copy of the warrant of commitment or detainer. An officer or other person detaining a person, who refuses or neglects to deliver to him or to a person in his behalf a true copy of the warrant of commitment or detainer, if one exists, within six hours after the demand, shall forfeit to the party so detained the sum of $500.
D.C. Code § 16-513 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 5 / § 16-513
§ 16-513. Advance payment of wages to avoid attachment or garnishment.
Status: in_force

It is unlawful for an employer to pay salary or earnings to an employee in advance of the time they are due and payable, for the purpose of avoiding or preventing an attachment or garnishment against the earnings or salary of the employee, and such an advance payment, as to the attaching creditor, is void.
After the service of one writ of attachment or garnishment on a judgment against an employer, any payment of salary or earnings thereafter before the time when the salary or earnings are due and payable made within a period of six months after the date of service of the writ or before the earlier satisfaction of the judgment, whichever is the earlier, is as to such attaching creditor presumed to be in violation of this section and casts upon the employer the burden of proving that the advance payment or payments were not for the purpose of avoiding the attachment of the salary or earnings.
D.C. Code § 16-4601.02 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 46 / § 16-4601.02
§ 16-4601.02. Proceedings governed by other law.
Status: in_force

This chapter does not govern a proceeding pertaining to:
(1) The authorization of emergency medical care for a child;
(2) An adoption proceeding pursuant to § 16-301 ; or
(3) A proceeding to adjudicate the parentage of a child pursuant to § 16-909(b-2) .
D.C. Code § 16-2103 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 21 / § 16-2103
§ 16-2103. Extinguishment or merger of cause of action.
Status: in_force

Where, with respect to a contract specified by section 16-2101  , an action is brought against:
(1) all the parties thereto, but service of process is had on some, only, of the defendants; or
(2) some, only, of the parties thereto, and service of process is had on them only —
a judgment against the parties so served does not work an extinguishment or merger of the cause of action on which the judgment is founded as respects the parties not so served. They shall remain liable to be sued separately.
D.C. Code § 16-316 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 3 / § 16-316
§ 16-316. Appointment and compensation of counsel; guardian ad litem.
Status: in_force

(a) When a petition for adoption has been filed and there has been no termination or relinquishment of parental rights with respect to the proposed adoptee or consent to the proposed adoption by a parent or guardian whose consent is required under [section 16-304], the Court may appoint an attorney to represent such parent or guardian in the adoption proceeding if the individual is financially unable to obtain adequate representation.
(b) The Court may appoint a guardian ad litem who is an attorney to represent the child in an adoption proceeding. The guardian ad litem shall in general be charged with the representation of the child’s best interest.
(c) An attorney appointed pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section shall be compensated in accordance with [section 16-2326.01], except that compensation in the adoption case shall be subject to the limitation set forth in [section 16-2326.01(b)(2)].
D.C. Code § 16-1062 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 10A / § 16-1062
§ 16-1062. Petition for anti-stalking order; representation.
Status: in_force

(a) A person 16 years of age or older may petition the court for an anti-stalking order against another person who has allegedly stalked the petitioner, with at least one occasion of the course of conduct occurring within the 90 days prior to the date of petitioning.
(b) A minor who is less than 16 years of age may not petition the court for an anti-stalking order on their own behalf.
(c) (1) The parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian of a minor may file a petition for an anti-stalking order on the minor's behalf.
  (2) A person 18 years of age or older to whom the minor is related by blood, adoption, legal custody, marriage, or domestic partnership may, at the request of a minor 13 years of age or older, petition for an anti-stalking order on the minor's behalf:
(d) (1) The Office of Attorney General may:
    (A) If the petitioner is unable to petition on the petitioner's own behalf, intervene in a case and represent the interests of the District of Columbia at the request of the petitioner, a person petitioning on the petitioner's behalf, or a government agency; or
    (B) At the request of the petitioner or a person petitioning on the petitioner's behalf, provide individual legal representation to the petitioner in proceedings under this chapter .
  (2) If the Office of the Attorney General intervenes in a case under paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection, the intervention shall continue until:
    (A) The court denies the petition for an anti-stalking order;
    (B) The Office of the Attorney General withdraws from the intervention.
(e) The court may appoint attorneys to represent a party if the party:
  (1) Is a minor;
  (2) Is not represented by an attorney; and
  (3) The appointment would not unreasonably delay a determination on the issuance or denial of a temporary anti-stalking order or anti-stalking order.
(f) When computing a time period specified in this chapter or in an order issued under this chapter that is stated in days or a longer unit of time:
  (1) Exclude the day of the event that triggers the time period;
  (2) Count every day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays; and
  (3) Include the last day of the time period, but if the last day of the time period specified falls on a Saturday, Sunday, a legal holiday, or a day on which weather or other conditions cause the court to be closed, the time period specified shall continue to run until the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday, or a day on which weather or other conditions cause the court to be closed.
D.C. Code § 16-3112 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 31 / § 16-3112
§ 16-3112. Costs and execution.
Status: in_force

The Probate Court may render judgment for costs against the unsuccessful party in any proceeding conducted in the court, and issue execution thereof.
D.C. Code § 16-5001 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 50 / § 16-5001
§ 16-5001. Definitions.
Status: repealed

Repealed.
D.C. Code § 16-2311 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2311
§ 16-2311. Release or delivery to Family Division.
Status: in_force

(a) A person taking a child into custody shall with all reasonable speed —
  (1) release the child to his parent, guardian, or custodian upon a promise to bring the child before the Division when requested by the Division, unless the child’s placement in detention or shelter care appears required as provided in section 16-2310;
  (2) bring a child alleged in need of supervision or delinquent before the Director of Social Services; or
  (3) bring the child to a medical facility if the child appears to require prompt treatment or to require prompt diagnosis for medical or evidentiary purposes and may order the child retained at the hospital subject to a further order of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, the Director of the Agency, or the Superior Court of the District of Columbia; or
  (4) bring a child alleged to be a neglected child, or a child alleged to be engaging in or offering to engage in a sexual act, as defined in [ § 22-3001(8) ], or sexual contact, as defined in [ § 22-3001(9) ], in return for receiving anything of value, to the Director of the Agency.
Any person taking a child into custody shall give prompt notice to the Corporation Counsel and to the parent, guardian, or custodian (if known) together with the reasons for custody.
(b) (1) When a child is brought before the Director of Social Services, the Director shall in all cases review the need for detention or shelter care prior to the admission of the child to the place of detention or shelter care. The child shall be released to his parent, guardian, or custodian unless the Director of Social Services finds that detention or shelter care is required under section 16-2310. If the child is not released, the Director of Social Services shall advise the child of the right to counsel as provided in section 16-2304, and if the child is under the age of 13, shall immediately deliver the child to the custody of the Director of the Department of Human Services. Under no circumstances shall the Director of Social Services deliver a child under the age of 13 to the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
  (2) when a child is brought before the Director of the Agency, the Director shall review the need for shelter care prior to the admission to shelter care. If shelter care is required the Director shall select the most appropriate placement for the child. If the Director determines that shelter care is not required the Director may recommend to the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia the release of the child to his or her parent, guardian or custodian. When a child is being held in a hospital the case shall be reviewed by the Director. If the Director determines that shelter care is not required, he or she shall recommend to said Police the release of the child to his or her parent, guardian, or custodian. If the Director determines there is a need for shelter care but there is not a medical need requiring hospitalization, the Director shall secure the appropriate shelter care.
(c) If a parent, guardian, or custodian fails, when requested, to bring the child to the Division as provided in subsection (a)(1), the Division may issue a warrant directing that the child be taken into custody and brought before the Division.
(d) A person taking a child into custody or a public agency having temporary care pending a detention or shelter care hearing may bring the child to a medical facility if the child appears to require prompt treatment or to require prompt diagnosis for medical, psychiatric, or evidentiary purposes and may authorize such diagnosis or emergency treatment. Routine medical treatment shall not be authorized unless a parent cannot be consulted.
D.C. Code § 16-2304 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2304
§ 16-2304. Right to counsel; party status.
Status: in_force

(a) A child alleged to be delinquent or in need of supervision is entitled to be represented by counsel at all critical stages of Division proceedings, including the time of admission or denial of allegations in the petition and all subsequent stages. If the child and his parent, guardian, or custodian are financially unable to obtain adequate representation, the child shall be entitled to have counsel appointed for him in accordance with rules established by the Superior Court. In its discretion, the Division may appoint counsel for the child over the objection of the child, his parent, guardian, or other custodian.
(b) (1) When a child is alleged to be neglected or when the termination of the parent and child relationship is under consideration, the parent, guardian, or custodian of the child named in the petition or in a motion to terminate is entitled to be represented by counsel at all critical stages of the proceedings, and, if financially unable to obtain adequate representation, to have counsel appointed in accordance with rules established by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
  (2) Every report required to be submitted to the Division by this chapter, or otherwise submitted to the Division in any proceeding, shall be served on all counsel and unrepresented parties by mail or by facsimile at the same time it is submitted to the Division.
  (3) The Division shall maintain a register of those attorneys who have expressed an interest in being appointed to represent parties or to serve as guardians ad litem in neglect proceedings, and shall attempt insofar as possible to make appointments from the register.
  (4) (A) The following individuals, if there are any for the child, and their attorneys, shall be provided notice of, and an opportunity to be heard in, the neglect or termination proceedings:
      (i) The child’s current foster parent;
      (ii) The child’s current preadoptive parent;
      (iii) The child’s current legal guardian or kinship caregiver;
      (iv) The child’s therapist; and
      (v) A relative or other individual with whom the child is currently placed pursuant to § 16-2320(a)(3)(C) .
    (B) In addition to the requirements of subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, if the child has been living with a person other than the parent, the person shall receive notice of the neglect or termination proceedings and, if the child has been with them for 12 months or more, the person may, upon his or her request, be designated a party to the proceedings. If the child has been living with the person less than 12 months, upon the person’s request, the judge may, at his or her discretion, designate the person a party to the proceedings which pertain to the determination of neglected child as defined in § 16-2301(9) . If the parent or other person party to the proceedings is financially unable to obtain adequate representation, counsel shall be appointed according to rules established by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
  (5) The Superior Court shall in every case involving a neglected child which results in a judicial proceeding, including the termination of the parent and child relationship pursuant to subchapter III of this chapter , appoint a guardian ad litem who is an attorney to represent the child in the proceedings. The guardian ad litem shall in general be charged with the representation of the child’s best interest.
(c) Prior to appointment of counsel under this section, the eligibility of a child or other party to be represented by counsel shall be determined by the Division pursuant to rules established by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
(d) There are authorized to be appropriated such funds as may be necessary for the administration of this section.
D.C. Code § 16-1023 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 10 / § 16-1023
§ 16-1023. Defense to prosecution; continuous offenses; expenses; jurisdiction.
Status: in_force

(a) No person violates this subchapter if the action:
  (1) Is taken to protect the child from imminent physical harm;
  (2) Is taken by a parent fleeing from imminent physical harm to the parent;
  (3) Is consented to by the other parent; or
  (4) Is otherwise authorized by law.
(b) If a person violates § 16-1022 of this subchapter, the person may file a petition in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia that:
  (1) States that at the time the act was done, a failure to do the act would have resulted in a clear and present danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the child; and
  (2) Seeks to establish custody, to transfer custody, or to revise or to clarify the existing custody order; except that if the Superior Court of the District of Columbia does not have jurisdiction over the custody issue, the person shall seek to establish, transfer, revise, or clarify custody in a court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) If a petition is filed as provided in subsection (b) of this section within 5 days of the action taken, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, a finding by the court that, at the time the act was done, a failure to do the act would have resulted in a clear and present danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the child is a complete defense to prosecution under this subchapter.
(d) A law enforcement officer may take a child into protective custody if it reasonably appears to the officer that any person is in violation of this subchapter and unlawfully will flee the District with the child.
(e) A child who has been detained or concealed shall be returned by a law enforcement officer to the lawful custodian or placed in the custody of another entity authorized by law.
(f) The offenses prohibited by this subchapter are continuous in nature and continue for so long as the child is concealed, harbored, secreted, detained, or otherwise unlawfully physically removed from the lawful custodian.
(g) Any expenses incurred by the District in returning the child shall be reimbursed to the District by any person convicted of a violation of this subchapter. Those expenses and costs reasonably incurred by the lawful custodian and child victim as a result of a violation of this subchapter shall be assessed by the court against any person convicted of the violation.
(h) Any violation of this subchapter is punishable in the District, whether the intent to commit the offense is formed within or without the District, if the child was a resident of the District, present in the District at the time of the taking, or is later found in the District.
D.C. Code § 16-544 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 5 / § 16-544
§ 16-544. Property subject to attachment.
Status: in_force

An attachment may be levied upon the judgment debtor’s goods, chattels, and credits.
D.C. Code § 16-2333 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 23 / § 16-2333
§ 16-2333. Police and other law enforcement records.
Status: in_force

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section and in section 16-2333.01, law enforcement records and files concerning a child shall not be open to public inspection nor shall their contents or existence be disclosed to the public unless:
  (1) A charge of delinquency is transferred for criminal prosecution under section 16-2307;
  (1A) The record pertains to a civil Notice of Violation;
  (2) The interest of national security requires; or
  (3) The court otherwise orders in the interest of the child.
(b) Inspection of such records and files is permitted by:
  (1) Courts:
    (A) The Superior Court, having the child currently before it in any proceedings; and
    (B) Any court in which respondent is charged or convicted as a respondent in a delinquency matter, or status offense, or as a defendant in a criminal offense, or the court’s probation staff, or by officials of rehabilitation or penal institutions and other rehabilitation or penal facilities to which he is committed, or by a parole board in considering his parole or discharge or in exercising supervision over him;
  (2) Case participants:
    (A) The child and any attorney for the child without regard to the age of the child at the time of the inspection and without regard to the existence of a pending Family Court case;
    (B) Parents or guardians of the child and any attorney for them without regard to the age of the child at the time of the inspection and without regard to the existence of a pending Family Court case;
    (C) Each eyewitness, victim, or the immediate family members or caretakers of the eyewitness or victim if the eyewitness or victim is a child or is deceased or incapacitated, and their duly authorized attorneys, when the records relate to the incident in which they were an eyewitness or a victim; and
    (D) The officers of public and private institutions or agencies to which the child is currently committed, and those professional persons or agencies responsible for the child’s supervision after release;
  (3) Prosecutors and law enforcement:
    (A) Law enforcement officers of the United States, the District of Columbia, and other jurisdictions when necessary for the discharge of their current official duties;
    (B) The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, his assistants, and any other prosecuting attorneys when necessary for the discharge of their official duties;
  (4) Government agencies and entities:
    (A) Professional employees of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services when necessary for the discharge of their official duties;
    (B) The Child Fatality Review Committee when necessary for the discharge of its official duties;
    (C) Authorized personnel in the Mayor’s Family Court Liaison, the Department of Health, the Department Mental Health, the Child and Family Services Agency, the Department of Human Services, the District of Columbia Public Schools, public charter schools, parochial schools, and private schools for the purpose of delivery of services to individuals under the jurisdiction of the Family Court, or their families;
    (D) The Children’s Advocacy Center and the public and private agencies and institutions that are members of the multi-disciplinary investigation team, for purposes of carrying out their official duties, except that only information contained in the records, and not the records of copies of the records, may be provided pursuant to this subparagraph;
    (E) The Juvenile Abscondence Review Committee for the purposes of examining circumstances and events surrounding any homicide, assault with intent to kill, and assault with a deadly weapon committed in the District by or to a juvenile in abscondence; and
    (F) The Violence Fatality Review Committee when necessary for the discharge of its official duties; and
  (5) Any other person, agency, or institution, by order of the court, having a professional interest in the child or in the work of the law enforcement department.
(c) The Family Court, upon application of the Attorney General and notice and opportunity for respondent or his counsel to respond to the application, may order the release of certain information contained in the law enforcement records if:
  (1) The respondent has escaped from detention or from the custody of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services and is likely to pose a danger or threat of bodily harm to another person;
  (2) Release of such information is necessary to protect the public safety and welfare; and
  (3) The respondent has been charged with a crime of violence as defined in section 23-1331(4).
(d) Photographs may be displayed to potential witnesses for identification purposes, in accordance with the standards of fairness applicable to adults.
(e) (1) Certain juvenile crime information (but not records) shall not be confidential and shall be disclosable to the public strictly in accordance with the provisions of this subsection.
  (2) The public availability of the information regarding a child shall be limited to:
    (A) The child’s name;
    (B) The fact that the child was arrested;
    (C) The charges at arrest;
    (D) The charges in the petition filed pursuant to section 16-2305;
    (E) Whether the petition resulted in an adjudication and the charges for which the child was found involved; and
    (F) If the child was found involved, whether at initial disposition the child was placed on probation or committed to the custody of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.
  (3) The information shall be available only regarding:
    (A) A juvenile who has been adjudicated delinquent of a crime of violence (as defined in section 23-1331(4)), or any felony offense under Chapter 45 of Title 22 (weapons) [ § 22-4501 et seq.] or Chapter 23 of Title 6 (Firearms Control) [ Chapter 25 of Title 7 , § 7-2501.01 et seq. (2001 Ed.)];
    (B) A juvenile who has been adjudicated delinquent 2 or more times of:
      (i) A dangerous crime (as defined in section 23-1331(3)) that is not included in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph;
      (ii) Unauthorized use of a vehicle;
      (iii) Theft in the first degree where the property obtained or used is a motor vehicle (as defined in section 22-3215(a));
      (iv) A assault [Assault] (as defined in section 22-404(a)(2)); or
      (v) Any combination thereof; and
    (C) An adult offender (including a juvenile tried as an adult under this chapter) convicted of a felony or of misdemeanor assault; provided, that no more than 3 years have lapsed between the completion of his or her juvenile sentence and the adult conviction.
  (4) This subsection permits the limited disclosure of information contained in records and files otherwise protected from disclosure under § 16-2333 , but does not authorize disclosure of the records and files.
  (5) This subsection shall apply only to individuals adjudicated after January 1, 2011, regardless of when the criminal offense occurred.
  (6) Any law enforcement information shared with the public shall comply with Metropolitan Police Regulations that apply to adult criminal records, including the Duncan Ordinance (Chapter 10 of Title 1 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations).”.
(f) Notwithstanding the confidentiality requirements of subsection (b) of this section, the Metropolitan Police Department shall make reports available to the public every 6 months of the number of children arrested in the District by the location of the police service area within which the juvenile suspect lives, and giving the location of the police service area within which the crime occurred, the charges, and the month in which the crime occurred.
(g) No person shall disclose, inspect, or use records in violation of this section.
D.C. Code § 16-922 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 9 / § 16-922
§ 16-922. Validity of marriages and divorces solemnized or pronounced before January 1, 1902.
Status: in_force

This chapter does not invalidate any marriage solemnized according to law before January 1, 1902, or any decree or judgment of divorce pronounced before that date.
D.C. Code § 16-5624 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 56 / § 16-5624
§ 16-5624. Appeal.
Status: in_force

(a) An appeal may be taken under this chapter from:
  (1) An order granting or denying a motion to compel arbitration;
  (2) An order granting or denying a motion to stay arbitration;
  (3) An order confirming or denying confirmation of an award;
  (4) An order correcting an award;
  (5) An order vacating an award without directing a rehearing; or
  (6) A final judgment.
(b) An appeal under this section may be taken as from an order or a judgment in a civil action.
D.C. Code § 16-4003 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 40 / § 16-4003
§ 16-4003. Applicability.
Status: in_force

This chapter applies to a collaborative law participation agreement that meets the requirements of § 16-4004 signed on or after the effective date of this chapter [May 9, 2012].
D.C. Code § 16-1108 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 11 / § 16-1108
§ 16-1108. Recovery of less than is claimed.
Status: in_force

The plaintiff, under a claim to certain described premises, may recover less than the whole property claimed, and, under a claim to an entire property, may recover an undivided part thereof.
D.C. Code § 16-1119 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 11 / § 16-1119
§ 16-1119. Judgment when improvements and damages are equal.
Status: in_force

When the value of the improvements, ascertained as provided by this chapter, equal but do not exceed the plaintiff’s damages, as found by the jury, the plaintiff shall be entitled to judgment only for the recovery of the property sued for and costs.
D.C. Code § 16-3906 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 39 / § 16-3906
§ 16-3906. Pre-trial settlement; trial; procedure; default; dismissal or nonsuit; other disposition.
Status: in_force

(a) On the return day specified by subsection (g) of section 16-3902, or at such later time as the judge sets, the trial shall be had. Immediately prior to the trial of a case pursuant to this chapter, the judge shall make an earnest effort to settle the controversy by conciliation. If he fails to induce the parties to settle their differences without a trial, he shall proceed with the hearing on the merits pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.
(b) The parties and witnesses shall be sworn. The judge shall conduct the trial in such manner as to do substantial justice between the parties according to the rules of substantive law, and is not bound by the statutory provisions or rules of practice, procedure, pleading, or evidence, except provisions relating to privileged communications.
(c) If the defendant fails to appear, judgment shall be entered for the plaintiff by default as provided by section 16-3902(f), or under rules of court, or on ex-parte proof. If the plaintiff fails to appear, the action may be dismissed for want of prosecution, or a nonsuit may be ordered, or defendant may proceed to a trial on the merits, or the case may be continued or returned to the files for further proceedings on a later date, as the judge directs. If both parties fail to appear, the judge may return the case to the files, or order the action dismissed for want of prosecution, or make any other just and proper disposition thereof, as justice requires.
D.C. Code § 16-2938 — DC Code / Title 16 / Chapter 29 / § 16-2938
§ 16-2938. Open-market sale, sealed bids, or auction.
Status: in_force

(a) If the court orders a sale of real property, the sale shall be an open-market sale unless the court finds that a sale by sealed bids or an auction would be more economically advantageous and in the best interest of the cotenants as a group.
(b) (1) If the court orders an open-market sale and the parties, not later than 10 days after the entry of the order, agree on a real estate broker licensed in the District to offer the property for sale, the court shall appoint the broker and establish a reasonable commission.
  (2) If the parties do not agree on a real estate broker, the court shall appoint a disinterested real estate broker licensed in the District to offer the real property for sale and shall establish a reasonable commission.
  (3) The real estate broker shall offer the real property for sale in a commercially reasonable manner at a price no lower than the determination of value and on the terms and conditions established by the court.
(c) If the real estate broker appointed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section obtains, within a reasonable time, an offer to purchase the real property for at least the determination of value:
  (1) The broker shall comply with the reporting requirements in § 16-2939 ; and
  (2) The sale may be completed in accordance with any applicable District law.
(d) If the broker appointed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section does not obtain, within a reasonable time, an offer to purchase the real property for at least the determination of value, the court, after a hearing, may:
  (1) Approve the highest outstanding offer, if any;
  (2) Redetermine the value of the real property and order that the real property continue to be offered for an additional time; or
  (3) Order that the real property be sold by sealed bids or at an auction.
(e) (1) If the court orders a sale by sealed bids or an auction, the court shall set terms and conditions of the sale.
  (2) If the court orders an auction, the auction shall be conducted in a commercially reasonable manner that is fair to all concerned.
(f) If a purchaser is entitled to a share of the proceeds of the sale, the purchaser shall be entitled to a credit against the price in an amount equal to the purchaser's share of the proceeds.