Section 3–313. Costs and fees.
(a) The petitioner may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs.
(b) If an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal of the commonwealth may assess against an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney's fees, other costs, and necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred by the obligee and the obligee's witnesses. The tribunal may not assess fees, costs or expenses against the obligee or the support enforcement agency of either the initiating or the responding state or foreign country, except as provided by other law. Attorney's fees may be taxed as costs and may be ordered paid directly to the attorney, who may enforce the order in the attorney's own name. Payment of support owed to the obligee has priority over fees, costs and expenses.
(c) The tribunal shall order the payment of costs and reasonable attorney's fees if it determines that a hearing was requested primarily for delay. In a proceeding under Article 6, a hearing is presumed to have been requested primarily for delay if a registered support order is confirmed or enforced without change.
Structure Massachusetts General Laws
Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations
Title III - Domestic Relations
Chapter 209d - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act
Article 3 - Civil Provisions of General Application.
Section 3-319 - Receipt and Disbursement of Payments
Section 3-318 - Assistance With Discovery
Section 3-317 - Communications Between Tribunals
Section 3-316 - Special Rules of Evidence and Procedure
Section 3-315 - Nonparentage as Defense
Section 3-314 - Limited Immunity of Petitioner
Section 3-313 - Costs and Fees
Section 3-312 - Nondisclosure of Information in Exceptional Circumstances
Section 3-311 - Pleadings and Accompanying Documents
Section 3-310 - Duties of the State Information Agency
Section 3-308 - Duty of Attorney General
Section 3-307 - Duties of Support Enforcement Agency
Section 3-306 - Inappropriate Tribunal
Section 3-305 - Duties and Powers of Responding Tribunal
Section 3-304 - Duties of Initiating Tribunal
Section 3-303 - Application of Law of the Commonwealth
Section 3-302 - Proceeding by Minor Parent