Opinion ID: 2337015
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Reconciling Section 2611(a) with Section 2202

Text: Ms. LeTellier claims, however, that § 36-5-2611(a)(1)(ii) does not preclude the exercise of jurisdiction because § 36-5-2201 and § 36-5-2202 provide the basis for jurisdiction in this case. Because long-arm jurisdiction was obtained over Mr. LeTellier pursuant to § 36-5-2201, § 36-5-2202 became applicable. Section 36-5-2202, Ms. LeTellier argues, expressly precludes any application of § 36-5-2611(a) to this case. Section 36-5-2202 provides as follows: Procedure when exercising jurisdiction over nonresident A tribunal of this state exercising personal jurisdiction over a nonresident under § 36-5-2201 [the long-arm statute] may apply § 36-5-2316 (Special Rules of Evidence and Procedure) to receive evidence from another state, and § 36-5-2318 (Assistance with Discovery) to obtain discovery through a tribunal of another state. In all other respects, parts 23 through 27 do not apply and the tribunal shall apply the procedural and substantive law of this state, including the rules on choice of law other than those established by parts 20-29 of this chapter. (emphasis added). Ms. LeTellier reads the emphasized language of § 36-5-2202 to mean that whenever personal jurisdiction can be asserted over a nonresident pursuant to the long-arm provisions of § 36-5-2201, parts 23 through 27 of UIFSA, including § 36-5-2611, have no application. The court should, therefore, look to the substantive law of Tennessee to determine if subject matter jurisdiction to modify exists. We do not agree. We hold that § 36-5-2202 applies only to proceedings to establish, enforce, or modify Tennessee support decrees against an out-of-state resident.
We find support for this conclusion in the comments to § 36-5-2201 and § 36-5-2202. The comments to § 36-5-2201 and § 36-5-2202 make no reference to subject matter jurisdiction and appear to presume that subject matter jurisdiction exists. For example, the comments to § 36-5-2201 state that a petitioner has two options: (1) utilize the long-arm statute to obtain personal jurisdiction over the respondent; or (2) initiate a two-state action under the succeeding provisions of UIFSA seeking to establish a support order in the respondent's State of residence. The comments to § 36-5-2202 further describe the one-state proceeding/two-state proceeding dichotomy: Assertion of long-arm jurisdiction over a nonresident essentially results in a one-state proceeding, notwithstanding the fact that the parties reside in different states. An effort to establish, enforce, or modify a support decree against an out-of-state resident ordinarily would have an interstate character. Assertion of long-arm personal jurisdiction by a Tennessee court would result in the type of one-state proceeding contemplated by the comments to § 36-5-2201 and § 36-5-2202 only in cases in which the Tennessee court already had subject matter jurisdiction. See Landers v. Jones, 872 S.W.2d 674, 675 (Tenn.1994) (In order to adjudicate a claim, a court must possess both subject matter jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction.). Tennessee courts have subject matter jurisdiction to establish, enforce, or modify Tennessee support decrees. See, e.g., Tenn.Code Ann. § 36-6-101. An action to establish, enforce, or modify a Tennessee order is transformed into a one-state proceeding when long-arm personal jurisdiction over the out-of-state resident is acquired pursuant to § 36-5-2201. Once that is done, the out-of-state resident is no longer out-of-state for purposes of that action, and the action loses its interstate character. The substantive and procedural law of one state, Tennessee, controls pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-5-2202. The portion of § 36-5-2202 excluding application of parts 23 through 27 simply reaffirms the notion that the multistate provisions of UIFSA have no application when only one state is implicated. Ms. LeTellier alleges that long-arm personal jurisdiction has been satisfied in this case. Even assuming that to be true, the order she sought to modify was issued by a state other than Tennessee. Tennessee courts lack subject matter jurisdiction to modify out-of-state orders when the provisions of UIFSA are not satisfied. [3] Because this case still retains its interstate character, § 36-5-2202 has no application to this case. The remaining provisions of UIFSA, including the subject matter jurisdiction provisions of § 36-5-2611(a), still apply.
Moreover, the comments to § 36-5-2611 refute any contention that asserting personal jurisdiction over an obligor pursuant to § 36-5-2201 is sufficient to confer subject matter jurisdiction to modify an out-of-state decree. The comments also clearly establish that an action to modify an out-of-state support order cannot be brought in the petitioner's home state as Ms. LeTellier attempted: The policies underlying the change affected by Subsection (a)(1) contemplate that the issuing State has lost continuing, exclusive jurisdiction and that the obligee may seek modification in the obligor's State of residence, or that the obligor may seek a modification in the obligee's State of residence. This restriction attempts to achieve a rough justice between the parties in the majority of cases by preventing a litigant from choosing to seek modification in a local tribunal to the marked disadvantage of the other party. For example, an obligor visiting the children at the residence of the obligee cannot be validly served with citation accompanied by a motion to modify the support order. Even though such personal service of the obligor in the obligee's home State [confers personal jurisdiction], the motion to modify does not fulfill the requirement of being brought by a [petitioner] who is a nonresident of this State.... In short, the obligee is required to register the existing order and seek modification of that order in a State which has personal jurisdiction over the obligor other than the state of the obligee's residence. Most typically this will be the State of residence of the obligor. In the above example, modification of the out-of-state order is impermissible in spite of the fact that personal jurisdiction has been acquired over the obligor in a manner authorized by the long-arm provisions of § 36-5-2201. See Tenn.Code Ann. § 36-5-2201(1) (providing for personal jurisdiction when an obligor is personally served with notice within the state).