Prior to the filing of any action for annulment, dissolution of marriage, or legal separation, either spouse, or both spouses, may file in the conciliation court a petition invoking the jurisdiction of the court for the purpose of preserving the marriage by effecting a conciliation between the parties or for amicable settlement of the controversy between the spouses so as to avoid further litigation over the issue involved. In any case where an action for annulment, dissolution of marriage, or legal separation has been filed, either party thereto may by petition filed therein have the cause transferred to the conciliation court for proceedings in the same manner as though action had been instituted in the conciliation court in the first instance.

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 25-381.09

  • Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Conciliation court: means a court of conciliation provided for in this article. See Arizona Laws 25-381.02
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
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