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Read. Follow. Verify.Kansas Bill Establishes Court Procedures to Penalize and Restrict Abusive Civil Lawsuits Between Current or Former Partners and Relatives
Last action · April 10, 2026: Died in Committee
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What This Bill Proposed
This bill allows defendants in civil lawsuits involving current or former family members, household members, or dating partners to request hearings to identify and dismiss abusive litigation filed primarily to harass or injure them. If a court finds an action is abusive, it mandates the dismissal of the lawsuit, awards the defendant reasonable attorney fees and costs, and imposes on the plaintiff lasting between 48 and 72 months.
Defendants facing repetitive or malicious lawsuits from family members or former partners can seek mandatory dismissal, financial recovery of legal fees, and a multi-year ban on new filings without court approval, altering how domestic disputes with repeated litigation are managed in court.
- SB 346 was introduced during the 2025-2026 legislative session in the Kansas Senate and ultimately died in committee. context
- Abusive litigation laws are designed to prevent vexatious litigants from using the legal system to harass former partners or family members through repeated, meritless lawsuits. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Civil action defendants in domestic relations cases
Defendants gain the right to request hearings to dismiss abusive lawsuits, seek awards for attorney fees and costs, and request prefiling restrictions against plaintiffs.
Plaintiffs filing civil actions against family or household members
Plaintiffs face potential dismissal of their lawsuits, liability for the defendant's attorney fees, and 48-to-72-month prefiling restrictions if their actions are found to be abusive.
Kansas courts
Courts are required to conduct hearings, evaluate evidence for rebuttable presumptions, issue dismissal orders, award attorney fees, and review applications for new filings from restricted plaintiffs.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a court determines a civil lawsuit is abusive under this bill?
Who qualifies as having a civil action party relationship under this legislation?
Can a person under prefiling restrictions ever file a new civil action?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 10, 2026SenateDied in Committee
- Jan 21, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to Senate Committee on Judiciary
- Jan 20, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.kslegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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