The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Subchapter
002
:
JURISDICTION
(Cite as: 15 V.S.A. § 1076)
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§ 1076. Simultaneous proceedings
(a) Except as otherwise provided in section 1074 of this title, a Vermont court may not exercise its jurisdiction under this subchapter if, at the
time of the commencement of the proceeding, a proceeding concerning the custody of
the child has been commenced in a court of another state having jurisdiction substantially
in conformity with this chapter, unless the proceeding has been terminated or is stayed
by the court of the other state because a Vermont court is a more convenient forum
under section 1077 of this title.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in section 1074 of this title, a Vermont court, before hearing a child custody proceeding, shall examine the court
documents and other information supplied by the parties pursuant to section 1079 of this title. If the court determines that a child custody proceeding has been commenced in a
court in another state having jurisdiction substantially in accordance with this chapter,
the Vermont court shall stay its proceeding and communicate with the court of the
other state. If the court of the state having jurisdiction substantially in accordance
with this chapter does not determine that the Vermont court is a more appropriate
forum, the Vermont court shall dismiss the proceeding.
(c) In a proceeding to modify a child custody determination, a Vermont court shall determine
whether a proceeding to enforce the determination has been commenced in another state.
If a proceeding to enforce a child custody determination has been commenced in another
state, the court may:
(1) stay the proceeding for modification pending the entry of an order of a court of the
other state enforcing, staying, denying, or dismissing the proceeding for enforcement;
(2) enjoin the parties from continuing with the proceeding for enforcement; or
(3) proceed with the modification under conditions it considers appropriate. (Added 2011, No. 29, § 1.)