Section 25.16 Personal (Long-Arm) Jurisdiction

• Library: Family Law Deskbook and 2014 Supp

B. (§25.16) Personal (Long-Arm) Jurisdiction

A Missouri tribunal must have personal jurisdiction over the person of the obligor to adjudicate personal liability for support. In re Marriage ofBerry, 155 S.W.3d 838, 840–41 (Mo. App. S.D. 2005). The provisions for acquiring personal jurisdiction in cases involving UIFSA are set out in §§ 454.857, 454.860, and 454.867, RSMo Supp. 2011. These long-arm jurisdictional provisions maximize a tribunal’s power over nonresidents without violating the Constitution. SeeKulko v. Superior Court of Cal. In & for City & Cnty. of San Francisco, 436 U.S. 84 (1978). In UIFSA cases, a Missouri tribunal, which may be a court, administrative agency, or quasi-judicial entity, see §§ 454.850 and 454.853, RSMo Supp. 2011, may exercise personal jurisdiction over a nonresident in an action to establish, enforce, or modify a support order or to determine parentage. Section 454.857. A Missouri tribunal may...