AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.

This bill's earlier version focused on defining "coercive control," establishing procedures for court-ordered mental health treatment in custody cases, and creating a new custody evaluation system; the current substitute adds a new set of standards governing when a court can order one party in a divorce or custody case to pay the other side's attorney fees, court costs, and witness fees. Under the revised bill, a court could only order such payments after finding that the requesting party actually lacks the financial resources to cover the costs, that the other party can afford to pay, that the fees are necessary to bring or defend the case, and that the amount is reasonable — while also allowing courts to treat a party as having more income than they currently earn if they are voluntarily underemployed, unless they are job-searching, in seasonal work, or caring for a child or vulnerable adult. The bill also formally defines "coercive control" as a pattern of isolating, monitoring, threatening, or financially controlling behavior, and permits courts to consider evidence of it when making child custody and parent-time decisions. It further creates detailed rules for ordering mental health treatment for children in custody disputes, including how parents select a treatment provider when they disagree, and establishes a new statewide framework for child custody evaluations, including evaluator qualification standards, a public roster of approved evaluators maintained by the Utah courts, and rules to ensure evaluators remain impartial and limit private communication with either party.