Sec. 6. (a) Except as otherwise provided in section 4 of this chapter, an Indiana court may not exercise its jurisdiction under this article 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 article, unless the proceeding:

(1) has been terminated; or

Terms Used In Indiana Code 31-21-5-6

  • 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.
(2) is stayed by the court of the other state because an Indiana court is a more convenient forum under section 8 of this chapter.

     (b) Except as otherwise provided in section 4 of this chapter, an Indiana court, before hearing a child custody proceeding, shall examine the court documents and other information supplied by the parties under sections 10 through 13 of this chapter. 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 article, the Indiana court shall:

(1) stay its proceeding; and

(2) communicate with the court of the other state.

If the court of the state having jurisdiction substantially in accordance with this article does not determine that the Indiana court is a more appropriate forum, the Indiana court shall dismiss the proceeding.

As added by P.L.138-2007, SEC.45.

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