§ 552.501 Short title; purposes and construction of act
§ 552.502 Definitions; A to I
§ 552.502a Definitions; M to T
§ 552.503 Office of the friend of the court; creation in judicial circuit; exception; separate office in county; vacancy; merger; head of office as friend of the court; friend of the court as employee of circui
§ 552.504 Citizen friend of the court advisory committee; establishment; composition; appointment; vacancy; terms; election of chairperson and vice-chairperson; court administrative office guidelines; term limi
§ 552.504a Citizen advisory committee; scope; duties; subcommittees; meetings open to the public; exception
§ 552.504b Information and records to be provided to citizen advisory committee
§ 552.504c Information and records as confidential; disclosure; penalty; grounds for dismissal
§ 552.505 Duties of friend of the court; failure of party to attend scheduled meeting; charging parties for investigation, report and recommendations; waiver or suspension of fees; disposition of money collecte
§ 552.505a Open friend of the court case; closure
§ 552.507 Referee; designation by chief judge; powers; transcript of hearing; cost; de novo court hearing; request; interim order; review
§ 552.507a Making report, recommendation, and supporting documents available to attorneys and parties; informing parties in child custody dispute or guardian concerning preference expressed by child; availabilit
§ 552.508 Expediting relief; methods
§ 552.509 Duties of office regarding support payments providing statement of account to parties; initiating and carrying out proceedings to enforce order regarding custody, parenting time, health care coverage
§ 552.509a Centralized receipt and disbursement of support and fees
§ 552.511 Initiating enforcement of support order and custody or parenting time order; procedure; arrearage; amnesty
§ 552.511a Payment of health care expense; complaint; sending copy of complaint and notice to parent; objection; hearing
§ 552.511b Custody or parenting time order violations; complaint; sending copy of complaint to individual accused of interfering; action
§ 552.512 Reporting information to consumer reporting agency
§ 552.513 Alternative dispute resolution; approval of plan; “protection order” defined; agreement; consent order; confidentiality of communication; qualifications of person providing domestic relations mediatio
§ 552.515 Certain actions by employee providing domestic relations mediation; prohibition
§ 552.517 Review of child support order after final judgment; modification order; calculations; petition for modification; scheduling of hearing; petition to require dependent health care coverage; use of guide
§ 552.517b Review of order; notice of right to request; notice of review; calculation of support amount; objection; joint meeting expediting resolution of support issues; provisions; modification; frequency of r
§ 552.517c Review of support order in another state; procedures
§ 552.517d Motion for modification of parenting time order
§ 552.517e Arrearage payment schedules; administrative adjustment
§ 552.517f Abatement of child support order upon incarceration of 180 days or more; notice; objection and administrative review; modification of order
§ 552.518 Information from employer or former employer relative to parent
§ 552.519 State friend of the court bureau; creation; supervision and direction; main office; duties; state advisory committee; report or recommendation; reimbursement for expenses; meetings; assistance
§ 552.520 Information requested by department of human services
§ 552.521 Person appointed as friend of the court under former act; continuation; transfer of files, records, funds, and pending cases of office under former act; employees of friend of the court appointed unde
§ 552.522 Appointment of attorney to assist friend of the court; compensation
§ 552.523 Vacancy; appointment of person to position of friend of the court or interim friend of the court; experience or education
§ 552.524 Annual review of performance record of friend of the court; public notice and comments; written evaluation; written response; copies
§ 552.525 Removal of friend of the court; approval
§ 552.526 Grievance procedure; record; powers and duties of citizen advisory committee
§ 552.527 Compensation and expenses of friend of the court and employees
§ 552.528 Compilation of data
§ 552.533 Repeal of MCL 552.251 to 552.255
§ 552.534 Conditional effective date
§ 552.535 Effective date

Terms Used In Michigan Laws > Chapter 552 > Act 294 of 1982 - Friend of the Court Act

  • Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
  • Alternative dispute resolution: means a process established under section 13 by which the parties are assisted in voluntarily formulating an agreement to resolve a dispute concerning child custody or parenting time that arises from a domestic relations matter. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Bureau: means the state friend of the court bureau created in section 19. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Centralizing enforcement: means the process authorized under section 10 of the office of child support act, 1971 PA 174, MCL 400. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Chief judge: means the following:
  (i) The circuit judge in a judicial circuit having only 1 circuit judge. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
  • Citizen advisory committee: means a citizen friend of the court advisory committee established as provided in section 4. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Consumer reporting agency: means a person that, for monetary fees or dues, or on a cooperative nonprofit basis, regularly engages in whole or in part in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports to third parties, and that uses any means or facility of interstate commerce for the purpose of preparing or furnishing consumer reports. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • County board: means the county board of commissioners in the county served by the office. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Court: means the circuit court. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Current employment: means employment within 1 year before a friend of the court request for information. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Custody or parenting time order violation: means an individual's act or failure to act that interferes with a parent's right to interact with his or her child in the time, place, and manner established in the order that governs custody or parenting time between the parent and the child and to which the individual accused of interfering is subject. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • De novo hearing: means a new judicial consideration of a matter previously heard by a referee. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Department: means the department of health and human services. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • Domestic relations matter: means a circuit court proceeding as to child custody, parenting time, child support, or spousal support, that arises out of litigation under a statute of this state, including, but not limited to, the following:
    •   (i) 1846 RS 84, MCL 552. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fair Credit Reporting Act: A federal law, established in 1971 and revised in 1997, that gives consumers the right to see their credit records and correct any mistakes. Source: OCC
  • Friend of the court: means the person serving under section 21(1) or appointed under section 23 as the head of the office of the friend of the court. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Friend of the court case: means a domestic relations matter that an office establishes as a friend of the court case as required under section 5a. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Health care coverage: means a fee for service, health maintenance organization, preferred provider organization, or other type of private health care coverage or public health care coverage. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • in writing: shall be construed to include printing, engraving, and lithographing; except that if the written signature of a person is required by law, the signature shall be the proper handwriting of the person or, if the person is unable to write, the person's proper mark, which may be, unless otherwise expressly prohibited by law, a clear and classifiable fingerprint of the person made with ink or another substance. See Michigan Laws 8.3q
  • Income: means that term as defined in section 2 of the support and parenting time enforcement act, MCL 552. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Joint meeting: An occasion, often ceremonial, when the House and Senate each adopt a unanimous consent agreement
  • 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.
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Medical assistance: means medical assistance as established under title XIX of the social security act, 42 USC 1396 to 1396w-5. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • month: means a calendar month; the word "year" a calendar year; and the word "year" alone shall be equivalent to the words "year of our Lord". See Michigan Laws 8.3j
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Office of child support: means the office of child support created in section 2 of the office of child support act, 1971 PA 174, MCL 400. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Payer: means a person ordered by the circuit court to pay support. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals. See Michigan Laws 8.3l
  • Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • Public assistance: means cash assistance provided under the social welfare act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Public health care coverage: means health care coverage that is established or maintained by a local, state, or federal government such as Medicaid established under title XIX of the social security act, 42 USC 1396 to 1396w-5 or the state children's health insurance program established under title XXI of the social security act, 42 USC 1397aa to 1397mm. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Recipient of support: means the following:
    •   (i) The spouse, if the support order orders spousal support. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
  • SDU: means the entity established in section 6 of the office of child support act, 1971 PA 174, MCL 400. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
  • State advisory committee: means the committee established by the bureau under section 19. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Support: means all of the following:
    •   (i) The payment of money for a child or a spouse ordered by the circuit court, whether the order is embodied in an interim, temporary, permanent, or modified order or judgment. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Support and parenting time enforcement act: means 1982 PA 295, MCL 552. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Support order: means an order entered by the circuit court for the payment of support in a sum certain, whether in the form of a lump sum or a periodic payment. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.