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Committee backs change to curb litigation abuse in family law (HB 555) after emotional testimony

Utah House Judiciary Committee · February 23, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

After multiple public testimonies about repeated and costly post-divorce litigation, the committee adopted an amendment and favorably recommended HB 555, which strengthens judges’ authority on attorney-fee awards to curb frivolous or harassing filings while preserving due process.

Representative Tracy Miller presented HB 555 on Feb. 23, describing the bill as a targeted response to "litigation abuse"—repeated or frivolous family-court filings that can financially and emotionally drain victims. The bill revises how courts handle attorney fees and costs in family law cases, adds the word "modify" to existing establish/modify language, and requires a specific judicial finding if…

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