Chapter 769

769.316(7) (7) If a party called to testify at a civil hearing refuses to answer on the ground that the testimony may be self-incriminating, the trier of fact may draw an adverse inference from the refusal.

769.316(8) (8) A privilege against disclosure of communications between spouses does not apply in a proceeding under this chapter.

769.316(9) (9) The defense of immunity based on the relationship of husband and wife or parent and child does not apply in a proceeding under this chapter.

769.316(10) (10) A voluntary acknowledgment of paternity, certified as a true copy, is admissible to establish parentage of the child.

769.316 History History: 1993 a. 326; 1995 a. 27; 2009 a. 321; 2015 a. 82 s. 12.

769.317 769.317 Communications between tribunals. A tribunal of this state may communicate with a tribunal outside this state in a record or by telephone, electronic mail, or other means, to obtain information concerning the laws, the legal effect of a judgment, decree, or order of that tribunal, and the status of a proceeding. A tribunal of this state may furnish similar information by similar means to a tribunal outside this state.

769.317 History History: 1993 a. 326; 2009 a. 321; 2015 a. 82 s. 12.

769.318 769.318 Assistance with discovery. A tribunal of this state may do all of the following:

769.318(1) (1) Request a tribunal outside this state to assist in obtaining discovery.

769.318(2) (2) Upon request, compel a person over which it has jurisdiction to respond to a discovery order issued by a tribunal outside this state.

769.318 History History: 1993 a. 326; 2009 a. 321; 2015 a. 82 s. 12.

769.319 769.319 Receipt and disbursement of payments.

769.319(1) (1) A support enforcement agency, its designee, or a tribunal of this state shall disburse promptly any amounts received under a support order, as directed by the order. The agency, its designee, or the tribunal shall furnish to a requesting party or tribunal of another state or a foreign country a certified statement by the custodian of the record of the amounts and dates of all payments received.

769.319(2) (2) If neither the obligor, nor the obligee who is an individual, nor the child resides in this state, upon request from the support enforcement agency of this state or another state, the support enforcement agency of this state or a tribunal of this state shall do all of the following:

769.319(2)(a) (a) Direct that the support payment be made to the support enforcement agency in the state in which the obligee is receiving services.

769.319(2)(b) (b) Issue and send to the obligor’s employer a conforming income-withholding order or an administrative notice of change of payee, reflecting the redirected payments.

769.319(3) (3) The support enforcement agency of this state receiving redirected payments from another state under a law similar to sub. (2) shall furnish to a requesting party or tribunal of the other state a certified statement by the custodian of the record of the amount and dates of all payments received.

769.319 History History: 1993 a. 326; 1997 a. 27; 2009 a. 321; 2015 a. 82 s. 12.

subch. IV of ch. 769 SUBCHAPTER IV

ESTABLISHMENT OF SUPPORT ORDER
OR DETERMINATION OF PARENTAGE

769.401 769.401 Petition to establish support order.

769.401(1) (1) If a support order entitled to recognition under this chapter has not been issued, a responding tribunal of this state with personal jurisdiction over the parties may issue a support order if any of the following applies:

769.401(1)(a) (a) The individual seeking the order resides outside this state.

769.401(1)(b) (b) The support enforcement agency seeking the order is located outside this state.

769.401(2) (2) The tribunal may issue a temporary child support order if the tribunal determines that such an order is appropriate and if the individual ordered to pay is any of the following:

769.401(2)(a) (a) A presumed father of the child.

769.401(2)(b) (b) An individual who is petitioning to have his paternity adjudicated.

769.401(2)(c) (c) An individual who has been identified as the father of the child through genetic testing.

769.401(2)(d) (d) An alleged father of the child who has declined to submit to genetic testing.

769.401(2)(e) (e) An individual who has been shown by clear and convincing evidence to be the father of the child.

769.401(2)(f) (f) An individual who has acknowledged paternity of the child under s. 767.805.

769.401(2)(g) (g) The mother of the child.

769.401(2)(h) (h) An individual who has been ordered to pay child support in a previous proceeding and the order has not been reversed or vacated.

769.401(3) (3) Upon finding, after notice and an opportunity to be heard, that an obligor owes a duty of support, the tribunal shall issue a support order directed to the obligor and may issue other orders under s. 769.305.

769.401 History History: 1993 a. 326; 2009 a. 321; 2015 a. 82 s. 12.

769.402 769.402 Proceeding to determine parentage. A tribunal of this state authorized to determine parentage of a child may serve as a responding tribunal in a proceeding to determine parentage of a child brought under this chapter or a law or procedure substantially similar to this chapter.

769.402 History History: 2009 a. 321; 2015 a. 82 s. 12.

subch. V of ch. 769 SUBCHAPTER V

ENFORCEMENT OF SUPPORT ORDER
WITHOUT REGISTRATION

769.501 769.501 Employer’s receipt of income-withholding order of another state. An income-withholding order issued in another state may be sent by or on behalf of the obligee, or by the support enforcement agency, to the obligor’s employer or other debtor, as specified in s. 767.75 (1f), without first filing a petition or comparable pleading or registering the income-withholding order with a tribunal of this state.

769.501 History History: 1993 a. 326; 1997 a. 27; 2009 a. 321; 2015 a. 82 ss. 5, 12.

769.502 769.502 Employer’s compliance with income-withholding order of another state.

769.502(1) (1) Upon receipt of an income-withholding order under s. 769.501, the obligor’s employer shall immediately provide a copy of the order to the obligor.

769.502(2) (2) The employer shall treat an income-withholding order issued in another state that appears to be regular on its face as if it had been issued by a tribunal of this state.

769.502(3) (3) Except as provided in sub. (4) and s. 769.503, the employer shall withhold and distribute the funds as directed in the income-withholding order by complying with the terms of the order, as applicable, that specify any of the following:

769.502(3)(a) (a) The duration and amount of periodic payments of current child support, stated as a sum certain.

769.502(3)(b) (b) The person designated to receive payments and the address to which the payments are to be forwarded.

769.502(3)(c) (c) Medical support, whether in the form of periodic cash payments, stated as a sum certain, or the provision of health insurance coverage for the child under a policy available through the obligor’s employment.

769.502(3)(d) (d) The amounts of periodic payments of fees and costs for a support enforcement agency, the issuing tribunal or the obligee’s attorney, stated as sums certain.

769.502(3)(e) (e) The amount of periodic payments of arrears and interest on arrears, stated as a sum certain.

769.502(4) (4) The employer shall comply with the law of the state of the obligor’s principal place of employment for withholding from income with respect to all of the following:

769.502(4)(a) (a) The employer’s fee for processing an income-withholding order.

769.502(4)(b) (b) The maximum amount permitted to be withheld from the obligor’s income.

769.502(4)(c) (c) The time periods within which the employer must implement the income-withholding order and forward the child support payment.

769.502 History History: 1993 a. 326; 1997 a. 27; 2015 a. 82.

769.503 769.503 Compliance with multiple income-withholding orders. If an obligor’s employer receives multiple orders to withhold support from the earnings of the same obligor, the employer shall be considered to have satisfied the terms of the multiple orders if the employer complies with the law of the state of the obligor’s principal place of employment to establish the priorities for withholding and allocating income withheld for multiple child support obligees.

769.503 History History: 1997 a. 27.

769.504 769.504 Immunity from civil liability. An employer that complies with an income-withholding order issued in another state in accordance with this subchapter is not subject to civil liability to any individual or agency with regard to the employer’s withholding of child support from an obligor’s income.

769.504 History History: 1997 a. 27.

769.505 769.505 Penalties for noncompliance. An employer that willfully fails to comply with an income-withholding order issued in another state and received for enforcement is subject to the same penalties that may be imposed for noncompliance with an income-withholding order issued by a tribunal of this state.

769.505 History History: 1997 a. 27; 2009 a. 321; 2015 a. 82 s. 12.

769.506 769.506 Contest by obligor.

769.506(1) (1) An obligor may contest the validity or enforcement of an income-withholding order issued in another state and received directly by an employer in this state by registering the order in a tribunal of this state and filing a contest to that order as provided in subch. VI, or otherwise contesting the order in the same manner as if the order had been issued by a tribunal of this state. Section 769.604 applies to the contest.

769.506(2) (2) The obligor shall give notice of the contest to all of the following:

769.506(2)(a) (a) A support enforcement agency providing services to the obligee.

769.506(2)(b) (b) Each employer that has directly received an income-withholding order.

769.506(2)(c) (c) Except as provided in par. (d), the person designated to receive payments in the income-withholding order.

769.506(2)(d) (d) If no person is designated to receive payments in the income-withholding order, the obligee.

769.506 History History: 1997 a. 27 ss. 5118 to 5120, 5125, 5126; 2009 a. 321; 2015 a. 82 ss. 7, 8, 12.

769.507 769.507 Administrative enforcement of orders.

769.507(1) (1) A party or support enforcement agency seeking to enforce a support order or an income-withholding order, or both, issued in another state or a foreign support order may send the documents required for registering the order to a support enforcement agency of this state.

769.507(2) (2) Upon receipt of the documents, the support enforcement agency, without initially seeking to register the order, shall consider and, if appropriate, use any administrative procedure authorized by the law of this state to enforce a support order or an income-withholding order, or both. If the obligor does not contest administrative enforcement, the order need not be registered. If the obligor contests the validity or administrative enforcement of the order, the support enforcement agency shall register the order as provided in this chapter.

769.507 History History: 1997 a. 27; 2009 a. 321; 2015 a. 82 s. 12.

subch. VI of ch. 769 SUBCHAPTER VI

REGISTRATION, ENFORCEMENT, AND MODIFICATION OF SUPPORT ORDER

769.601 769.601 Registration of order for enforcement. A support order or an income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order may be registered in this state for enforcement.

769.601 History History: 1993 a. 326; 2009 a. 321; 2015 a. 82 s. 12.

769.602 769.602 Procedure to register order for enforcement.

769.602(1) (1) Except as provided in s. 769.706, a support order or income-withholding order of another state or a foreign support order may be registered in this state by sending all of the following records to the appropriate tribunal in this state:

769.602(1)(a) (a) A letter of transmittal to the tribunal requesting registration and enforcement.

769.602(1)(b) (b) Two copies, including one certified copy, of all orders to be registered, including any modification of an order.

769.602(1)(c) (c) A sworn statement by the person requesting registration or a certified statement by the custodian of the records showing the amount of any arrearage.

769.602(1)(d) (d) The name of the obligor and any of the following that are known:

769.602(1)(d)1. 1. The obligor’s address and social security number.

769.602(1)(d)2. 2. The name and address of the obligor’s employer and any other source of income of the obligor.

769.602(1)(d)3. 3. A description and the location of property of the obligor in this state not exempt from execution.

769.602(1)(e) (e) Except as provided in s. 769.312, the name and address of the obligee and, if applicable, the agency or person to whom support payments are to be remitted.

769.602(2) (2) On receipt of a request for registration, the registering tribunal shall cause the order to be filed as an order of another state or a foreign country, together with one copy of the documents and information, regardless of their form.

769.602(3) (3) A petition or comparable pleading seeking a remedy that must be affirmatively sought under other law of this state may be filed at the same time as the request for registration or later. The pleading must specify the grounds for the remedy sought.