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 Oklahoma Statutes (Last Updated: September 18, 2014)
 Title 43A. MENTAL HEALTH

  § 43A-5-504. Jurisdiction – Venue - Powers of court.  

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  • A.  Upon the filing of a petition alleging that a minor is a minor in need of treatment and requires inpatient mental health or substance abuse treatment, or upon the assumption of custody of an alleged deprived child pursuant to the provisions of Section 1-4-201 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes, or when a minor is the ward of the court, the judge of the district court having juvenile docket responsibility shall have jurisdiction of any minor who is or is alleged to be a minor in need of treatment and of the parent or legal custodian of the minor, regardless of where the parent or legal custodian is found.  When jurisdiction has been obtained over a minor who is or is alleged to be in need of treatment, such jurisdiction may be retained until the minor is discharged from treatment ordered by the court.  For the convenience of the parties and in the interest of justice, a proceeding under the Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment of Minors Act may be transferred to the district court in any other county.

    1.  The venue for legal proceedings pursuant to the Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment of Minors Act shall be:

    a.the county where the minor resides,

    b.when the minor is in the custody of a public or private child care agency, the county in which the minor resides at the time legal proceedings are initiated, or

    c.the county of original jurisdiction.

    2.  The district court in which a petition is filed or the district court in which custody has been assumed pursuant to the provisions of Section 1-4-201 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes may retain jurisdiction of a minor in need of treatment in such proceeding even if the minor is subject to the jurisdiction of another district court within the state.  Any orders made by the court in which the petition is filed shall control over prior orders in regard to the minor.

    3.  The district court in which a petition is filed which alleges that a minor is a minor in need of treatment may issue any temporary order or grant any interlocutory relief authorized by the Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment of Minors Act even if another district court within the state has jurisdiction of the minor or has jurisdiction to determine the custody or support of the minor.

    4.  If the district court in which a petition is filed pursuant to either paragraph 2 or 3 of this subsection sustains the petition, the district court shall have the jurisdiction to make a final determination on the petition or to transfer the proceedings to a court having prior jurisdiction over the minor.  Where the other proceeding is pending in the same judicial district in which the petition is filed, the chief judge of the judicial district shall determine which judge shall try the issues when the judges to whom the cases have been assigned are unable to agree on the procedure that should be followed.

    B.  Unless otherwise specifically provided by the Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment of Minors Act and Title 43A of the Oklahoma Statutes, the rules of civil procedure shall apply to all legal proceedings pursuant to the Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment of Minors Act.

Added by Laws 1992, c. 298, § 4, eff. July 1, 1993.  Amended by Laws 1995, c. 254, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 1995; Laws 1997, c. 386, § 21, emerg. eff. June 10, 1997; Laws 2002, c. 327, § 4, eff. July 1, 2002; Laws 2003, c. 130, § 4, eff. Nov. 1, 2003; Laws 2009, c. 234, § 139, emerg. eff. May 21, 2009.