Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 215, § 4 (2026)

Courts and their jurisdictions; separate estates of married women; paternity, custody and support of minors

✓ current as of July 2026

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Section 4. Probate courts shall have exclusive original jurisdiction of actions by married women relative to their separate estate, of actions relative to the care, custody, education and maintenance of minor children provided for by sections thirty and thirty-seven of chapter two hundred and nine, and of actions relative to paternity, support, and custody of minor children provided for in chapter two hundred and nine C and shall have jurisdiction concurrently with the district and Boston municipal court departments of actions relative to paternity or support as provided in chapter two hundred and nine C and actions for support as provided in section thirty-two F of chapter two hundred and nine and actions relative to paternity or support as provided in two hundred and nine D.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 6 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1987–2024 · leading case: Doe v. Roe, 504 N.E.2d 659 (Mass. App. Ct. 1987).

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Doe v. Roe, 504 N.E.2d 659 (Mass. App. Ct. 1987). · cites it 3× “As already pointed out, it has amended G. L. c. 215, § 4, in the manner set out in note 2, supra.”

Commonwealth v. Rauseo, 740 N.E.2d 1053 (Mass. App. Ct. 2001). “209C, § 3; G. L. c. 215, § 4. Chapter 209A contains no language authorizing courts to enter visitation orders; only the Probate Court, in actions related to divorce, separate support, or paternity, may enter orders providing for visitation.”

E.N. v. E.S., 852 N.E.2d 1104 (Mass. App. Ct. 2006). “” G. L. c. 215, § 4, as amended by St. 1975, c.”

Roberts v. Noon, 23 Mass. App. Ct. 596 (Mass. App. Ct. 1987). “209C, §§ 1-9, inclusive, and under G. L. c. 215, § 4, as appearing in St. 1986, c.”

Care & Prot. of Jaylen (Mass. 2024). “209C); G. L. c. 215, § 4 (Probate and Family Court Department "shall have exclusive original jurisdiction of actions .”

Whiting v. Whiting, 5 Mass. L. Rptr. 103 (Mass. Super. Ct. 1996). “G.L.c. 215, §4. While this court cannot determine the plaintiffs right to visit his children, it does exercise jurisdiction over tort claims ancillary to matters before the Probate and Family Court.”

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.