Jason Thomas Armstrong v. Lacie Rebecca Ann Chance

Summary

The Alaska Supreme Court held that the superior court had subject matter jurisdiction to consider a domestic violence protective-order petition filed by an Alaska resident, even though the alleged abuse occurred elsewhere. It nevertheless held that the court lacked personal jurisdiction over the respondent, who had never been to Alaska and had no contacts with the state, because the long-term protective order imposed affirmative obligations and substantial restrictions with consequences beyond merely protecting the petitioner’s status. The court therefore vacated the long-term protective order.