(1) As used in this section, “consolidated” means that actions are heard before one judge of the circuit court to determine issues regarding a child or ward.
(2) In any action filed in the juvenile court in which the legal or physical custody of a child or ward is at issue and there is also a child custody, parenting time, visitation, restraining order, filiation or Family Abuse Prevention Act action involving the child or ward in a domestic relations, filiation or guardianship proceeding, the matters shall be consolidated. Actions must be consolidated under this subsection regardless of whether the actions to be consolidated were filed or initiated before or after the filing of the petition under ORS 419B.100.
(3) Consolidation does not merge the procedural or substantive law of the individual actions. Parties to the individual consolidated actions do not have standing, solely by virtue of the consolidation, in every action subject to the order of consolidation. Parties must comply with provisions for intervention or participation in a particular action under the provisions of law applicable to that action.
(4) Upon entry of an order of consolidation, all pending issues pertaining to the actions subject to the order shall be heard together in juvenile court. The court shall hear the juvenile matters first unless the court finds that it is in the best interest of the child or ward to proceed otherwise.
(5) A judge shall make and modify orders and findings in actions subject to the order of consolidation upon the filing of proper motions and notice as provided by law applicable to the actions. Any findings, orders or modifications must be consistent with the juvenile court orders, and persons who were parties to the juvenile court action may not relitigate issues in consolidated actions.
(6) The judge shall set out separately from orders entered under this chapter or ORS chapter 419C any orders or judgments made in other actions subject to the consolidation order. The trial court administrator shall file the orders and judgments in the appropriate actions subject to the consolidation order. An order or judgment in an individual juvenile court action is final if it finally disposes of the rights and duties of the parties to that action, without reference to whether the order or judgment disposes of the rights and duties of the parties to another action with which the action has been consolidated.
(7)(a) When the actions described in subsection (2) of this section exist in two or more circuit courts, the judges assigned to the actions shall confer to determine the appropriate court in which to consolidate and hear the actions. The judges shall confer not later than 10 judicial days after a court has received notice of the existence of an action in another circuit court.
(b) If the judges agree on the circuit court in which the actions should be consolidated, the judges shall take such action as is necessary to consolidate the actions in the circuit court.
(c) If the judges do not agree on the circuit court in which the actions should be consolidated, the actions must be consolidated in the court in which the juvenile action is filed or, if more than one juvenile action is pending, in the court in which the first juvenile action was filed.
(8) Nothing in this section requires the consolidation of any administrative proceeding under ORS chapter 25 or 416 with a juvenile court or other action. [Formerly 419B.260; 2003 c.396 §92; 2007 c.547 §12]
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