P.R. Laws tit. 8, § 543d

2019-02-20 00:00:00+00
§ 543d. Duties and powers of responding tribunal

(a) When a responding tribunal of Puerto Rico receives a petition or comparable pleading from an initiating tribunal or directly pursuant to § 543(c) of this title, it shall cause the petition or pleading to be filed and notify the petitioner where and when it was filed.

(b) A responding tribunal of Puerto Rico, to the extent otherwise authorized by law, may do one or more of the following:

(1) Issue or enforce a support order, modify a child-support order, or render a judgement to determine parentage;

(2) order an obligor to comply with a support order, specifying the amount and the manner of compliance;

(3) order income withholding;

(4) determine the amount of any arrearages, and specify a method of payment;

(5) enforce orders by civil or criminal contempt, or both;

(6) set aside property for satisfaction of the support order;

(7) place liens and order execution on the obligor’s property;

(8) order an obligor to keep the tribunal informed of the obligor’s current residential address, telephone number, employer, address of employment, and telephone number at the place of employment;

(9) issue a (bench warrant; capias) for an obligor who has failed after proper notice to appear at a hearing ordered by the tribunal and enter the (bench warrant; capias) in any local and state computer systems for criminal warrants;

(10) order the obligor to seek appropriate employment by specified methods;

(11) award reasonable attorney’s fees and other fees and costs, and

(12) grant any other available remedy.

(c) A responding tribunal of Puerto Rico shall include in a support order issued under this chapter, or in the documents accompanying the order, the calculations on which the support order is based.

(d) A responding tribunal of Puerto Rico may not condition the payment of a support order issued under this chapter upon compliance by a party with provisions for visitation.

(e) If a responding tribunal of Puerto Rico issues an order under this chapter, the tribunal shall send a copy of the order to the petitioner and the respondent and to the initiating tribunal, if any.

History —Dec. 20, 1997, No. 180, art. 3.305.