Title: In Re: Amendments to Florida Family Law Rule Of Procedure 12.407

State: florida

Issuer: Florida Supreme Court

Document:

Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC18-853 
____________ 
 
 
IN RE:  AMENDMENTS TO FLORIDA FAMILY LAW RULE OF 
PROCEDURE 12.407. 
 
December 13, 2018 
 
PER CURIAM. 
 
This matter is before the Court for consideration of proposed amendments to 
the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure.  We have jurisdiction.  See art. V, 
§ 2(a), Fla. Const. 
BACKGROUND 
The Family Law Rules Committee previously proposed amendments to rule 
12.407 in its 2017 regular-cycle report.  In re Amends. to Fla. Family Law Rules of 
Pro.—2017 Regular-Cycle Report, 227 So. 3d 115, 116 (Fla. 2017).  The Court, 
concerned that the amendments “might produce the unintended consequences of 
(1) prohibiting children from entering a courthouse building, and (2) directly 
conflicting with certain provisions of Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.255, 
especially in the context of Unified Family Court Proceedings,” declined to adopt 
 
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the amendments.  Id.  Instead, the Court “refer[red] these issues back to the Family 
Law Rules Committee, the Steering Committee on Families and Children in the 
Court, and the Juvenile Court Rules Committee for further joint consideration.”  Id. 
In response to this Court’s request that the three committees work together 
to address the Court’s concerns, the Family Law Rules Committee (FLR 
Committee), Juvenile Court Rules Committee (JCR Committee), and the Steering 
Committee on Families and Children in the Court (Steering Committee) have filed 
a joint out-of-cycle report proposing amendments to Florida Family Law Rule of 
Procedure 12.407 (Testimony and Attendance of Minor Child).  The Court 
published the proposed amendments in the July 15, 2018, edition of The Florida 
Bar News.  One comment was received from Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court Judge 
Scott M. Bernstein.  The committees submitted a joint response, declining to make 
the change suggested by Judge Bernstein but making further editorial amendments 
not related to the comment.  Upon consideration of the committees’ report, the 
comment received, and the joint response, we adopt the amendments to the Florida 
Family Law Rules of Procedure as proposed in the response.1 
                                          
 
 
1.  Other minor and editorial amendments are also made. 
 
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AMENDMENTS 
 
The committees propose adding the subdivision titles “Prohibition,” 
“Related Proceedings,” and “Uncontested Adoption” to rule 12.407.  Additionally, 
the committees propose substantially rewording the rule to address this Court’s 
concerns.  Under the subtitle “Prohibition,” the amended rule prohibits children 
who are witnesses, potential witnesses, or related to family law cases from being 
deposed or brought to a deposition, being subpoenaed to attend a family law 
proceeding, or being present at a family law proceeding without prior order from 
the court, unless otherwise provided by law or another rule of procedure.  Under 
the subtitle “Related Proceedings,” the rule clarifies that in family law proceedings 
held concurrently with proceedings governed by the Florida Rules of Juvenile 
Procedure, the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure govern as to the child’s 
appearance in court.  Under the subtitle “Uncontested Adoption,” the rule makes 
clear that it does not apply in uncontested adoption proceedings.  Finally, the 
committees added a comment further clarifying that the rule is not intended to 
prohibit children who are unrelated to the litigation from attending court or 
depositions in family law cases, and is, instead, intended to protect children who 
may be harmed by unnecessary involvement in family law proceedings. 
 
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CONCLUSION 
We commend the Family Law Rules Committee, the Juvenile Court Rules 
Committee, and the Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court for 
working collaboratively on the amendments to Rule 12.407 to successfully address 
this Court’s concerns.  Accordingly, the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure 
are amended as set forth in the appendix to this opinion.  Language added to the 
rules is underscored; deleted language is struck through. 
The amended rule shall become effective upon release of this opinion. 
It is so ordered. 
CANADY, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, POLSTON, LABARGA, 
and LAWSON, JJ., concur. 
 
ANY MOTION FOR REHEARING OR CLARIFICATION MUST BE FILED 
WITHIN SEVEN DAYS.  A RESPONSE TO THE MOTION FOR 
REHEARING/CLARIFICATION MAY BE FILED WITHIN FIVE DAYS 
AFTER THE FILING OF THE MOTION FOR REHEARING/CLARIFICATION. 
THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE 
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS.   
 
Original Proceeding – Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure 
 
Maria Liliana Obradovich, Chair, Family Law Rules Committee, Tampa, Florida, 
and Robert Joseph Merlin, Past Chair, Family Law Rules Committee, Coral 
Gables, Florida; David Neal Silverstein, Chair, Juvenile Court Rules Committee, 
Bradenton, Florida, and Kara Ann Fenlon, Past Chair, Juvenile Court Rules 
Committee, Tallahassee, Florida; Honorable Christine Hissam Greider, Chair, 
Steering Committee on Children and Families in the Court; and Joshua E. Doyle, 
Executive Director, and Mikalla Andies Davis, Staff Liaison, The Florida Bar, 
Tallahassee, Florida, 
 
 
for Petitioner 
 
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Honorable Scott M. Bernstein, Judge, and Patricia Gladson, General Counsel, 
Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Miami, Florida, 
 
 
Responding with comments 
 
 
 
 
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APPENDIX 
RULE 12.407. 
TESTIMONY AND ATTENDANCE OF MINOR CHILD 
(a) 
Prohibition. Unless otherwise provided by law or another rule of 
procedure, children who are witnesses, potential witnesses, or related to a family 
law case, are prohibited from being No minor child shall be deposed or brought to 
a deposition, brought to court to appear as a witness or to attend a hearing, orfrom 
being subpoenaed to appear at any hearing family law proceeding, or from 
attending any family law proceedings without prior order of the court based on 
good cause shown unless in an emergency situation. 
(b) 
Related Proceedings. In a family law proceeding held concurrently 
with a proceeding governed by the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, the Florida 
Rules of Juvenile Procedure govern as to the child’s appearance in court. 
(c) 
Uncontested Adoption. This provisionrule shalldoes not apply to 
uncontested adoption proceedings. 
Court Commentary 
1995 Adoption. This rule is intended to afford additional protection to 
minor children by avoiding any unnecessary involvement of children in family law 
litigation. While due process considerations prohibit an absolute ban on child 
testimony, this rule requires that a judge determine whether a child’s testimony is 
necessary and relevant to issues before the court prior to a child being required to 
testify. 
Committee Notes  
2018_Amendment. This rule is not intended to prohibit children who are 
unrelated to the litigation from attending court or depositions in family law cases 
for educational purposes and other reasons. This rule is intended to protect children 
who may be harmed by unnecessary involvement in family law proceedings. 
Children who may be harmed by unnecessary involvement include children who 
may be the subject of the family law case and children who are witnesses, are 
potential witnesses, or have extensive involvement with the family that is the 
subject of a current family law case.