§ 4057. Procedure

(a) Except as otherwise specified, proceedings commenced under this subchapter shall be in accordance with the Vermont Rules for Family Proceedings and shall be in addition to any other available civil or criminal remedies.

(b) The Court Administrator shall establish procedures to ensure access to relief after regular court hours or on weekends and holidays. The Court Administrator is authorized to contract with public or private agencies to assist petitioners to seek relief and to gain access to Superior Courts. Law enforcement agencies shall assist in carrying out the intent of this section.

(c) The Court Administrator shall ensure that the Superior Court has procedures in place so that the contents of orders and pendency of other proceedings can be known to all courts for cases in which an extreme risk protection order proceeding is related to a criminal proceeding.

(d)(1) For purposes of a petition filed pursuant to this subchapter, a health care provider may notify a law enforcement officer when the provider believes in good faith that disclosure of the information is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.

(2) As used in this subsection:

(A) “Health care provider” has the same meaning as in 18 V.S.A. § 9402.

(B) “Necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public” includes circumstances when the health care provider reasonably believes that the patient poses an extreme risk of causing harm to themselves or another person by purchasing, possessing, or receiving a dangerous weapon or by having a dangerous weapon within the patient’s custody or control. (Added 2017, No. 97 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 11, 2018; amended 2021, No. 87 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. July 1, 2022.)