Amanda Colburn v. Nicholas Saykaly & a.

Summary

The New Hampshire Supreme Court affirmed the district division’s jurisdiction to hear the eviction action, holding that the family division does not have exclusive jurisdiction over marital property merely because a divorce proceeding is pending, and that the district division may adjudicate possession against an occupant who is not a statutory “tenant.” The court based its decision on a plain‑meaning interpretation of the relevant statutes and rejected the defendant’s bright‑line and first‑in‑time rules.