IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT APPROVED FAMILY LAW FORMS—12.951(A) AND (B). (2018)

Pursuant to the procedures approved in Amendments to the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure & Family Law Forms, 810 So.2d 1, 13–14 (Fla. 2000), this Court has internally reviewed the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms and has decided that amendments to two existing forms are needed. See Fla. R. Jud. Admin. 2.140(d). Input was received from the Advisory Workgroup on the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms, which provided valuable assistance. We have jurisdiction,¹ and amend forms 12.951(a) (Petition to Disestablish Paternity and/or Terminate Child Support Obligation) and (b) (Order Disestablishing Paternity and/or Terminating Child Support Obligation) as follows.

First, we amend the caption to form 12.951(a) to reflect that the form is a petition for disestablishment of paternity, in accordance with Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.100(c)(1)(D)(iv). Next, in form 12.951(b), we replace several instances of “mother” with “the other parent” so that the form will be appropriate for use in cases with both same-sex and opposite-sex parents, following the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, ––– U.S. ––––, 135 S.Ct. 2584, 192 L.Ed.2d 609 (2015).

The amended forms are hereby adopted as set forth in the appendix to this opinion, fully engrossed. The amendments to the forms shall become effective immediately upon the release of this opinion and may be accessed and downloaded from the Florida State Court's website at http://www.flcourts.org/resources-andservices/court-improvement/family-courts/family-law-forms.stml. By adoption of the amended forms, we express no opinion as to their correctness or applicability. We also direct that the amended forms be published for comment. Interested persons shall have sixty days from the date of this opinion to file comments with the Court.²

It is so ordered.

APPENDIX

FOOTNOTES

1.   See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.

2.   All comments must be filed with the Court on or before August 20, 2018, as well as a separate request for oral argument if the person filing the comment wishes to participate in oral argument, which may be scheduled in this case. If filed by an attorney in good standing with The Florida Bar, the comment must be electronically filed via the Florida Courts E–Filing Portal (Portal) in accordance with In re Electronic Filing in the Supreme Court of Florida via the Florida Courts E–Filing Portal, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC13–7 (Feb. 18, 2013). If filed by a nonlawyer or a lawyer not licensed to practice in Florida, the comment may be, but is not required to be, filed via the Portal. Comments filed via the Portal must be submitted in Microsoft Word 97 or higher. See In re Electronic Filing in the Florida Supreme Court, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC17–27 (May 9, 2017). Any person unable to submit a comment electronically must mail or hand-deliver the originally signed comment to the Florida Supreme Court, Office of the Clerk, 500 South Duval Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399–1927; no additional copies are required or will be accepted.

PER CURIAM.

LABARGA, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, CANADY, POLSTON, and LAWSON, JJ., concur.