Upon motion of either party, upon motion of the magistrate, or upon the court’s own motion, a judge of the Family Division of the Superior Court may hear and determine the issue of child support, provided there is a prior existing support order in effect or an interim or temporary order and the court finds one of the following:
- (1) The support matter is so intrinsically tied to an action that must be heard by a judge that hearing before a magistrate would unduly delay the proceedings.
- (2) The identity of the parties, issues, and evidence are so similar in nature that consolidation with an already scheduled matter would in fact expedite resolution of the support issue.
- (3) A material legal issue must be resolved for which there is no legal precedent.
- (4) Such good and substantial cause as the court may find, consistent with the principle that support cases shall be heard in a timely manner.
(Added 1989, No. 221 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1990; amended 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 31.)