(a) Chapters 256, 257, and 518 and sections 524.5-201 to 524.5-317 apply to third-party and de facto custody proceedings unless otherwise specified in this chapter. De facto or third-party child custody proceedings concerning an Indian child are child custody proceedings governed by the Indian Child Welfare Act, United States Code, title 25, sections 1901 to 1963; by the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, sections 260.751 to 260.835; and by this chapter when not inconsistent with the Indian Child Welfare Act or the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act.
(b) Nothing in this chapter relieves a parent of a duty to support the parent's child. A preexisting child support order is not suspended or terminated when a third party takes custody of a child unless otherwise provided by court order. A de facto or third-party custodian has a cause of action against a parent for child support under section 256.87, subdivision 5, and the public authority has a cause of action against a parent for child support under section 256.87, subdivision 1.
(c) Nothing in this chapter prohibits the establishment of parentage under chapter 257.
Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes