Get free answers to your Child Custody legal questions from lawyers in your area.
I share 50/50 custody of 2 children with my ex-wife, with an alternating weeks schedule. We have no child support obligations due to the shared custody. Our court paperwork doesn't specify who can claim the children for income tax purposes. We verbally agreed that each of us would claim one... View More 
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answered on Apr 1, 2025
I understand your frustration. It sounds like your verbal agreement with your ex-wife regarding claiming the children on taxes wasn’t honored, which can be incredibly frustrating.
Since your court order doesn’t specify who can claim the children, it’s best to consult with a tax... View More
I am a non-custodial parent of a 10-year-old child and am considering giving up my parental rights because my work schedule prevents me from seeing the child. There is a court order in place, and the custodial parent is not in agreement with me giving up my rights. Additionally, I have requested a... View More
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answered on Mar 31, 2025
In Texas, a non-custodial parent cannot voluntarily terminate their parental rights solely due to personal reasons, such as a busy work schedule or financial obligations. Parental rights can only be terminated by a court order, typically when it is in the best interest of the child. This generally... View More
I am the custodial parent, and the non-custodial parent cannot personally care for our children during their first summer possession. There is nothing specifically stated about daycare in our custody orders. I believe it's in the children's best interest to be with a parent, rather than... View More
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answered on Mar 31, 2025
The custodial parent usually can't refuse the non-custodial parent their court-ordered possession time, even if the non-custodial parent decides to use daycare during their time.
If the custody order doesn’t specifically address daycare or who gets to care for the kids during the... View More
For the past year and a half, people have been coming to my door to serve papers, claiming to be looking for me. I have seen them on my Ring camera but haven't been able to answer. I have no ongoing legal issues and have received no written notices that could indicate what this is about. I... View More
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answered on Mar 31, 2025
The best way to find out what’s going on is to check with the clerk’s office in your county to see if there’s a lawsuit. Some counties have court records online, but if yours doesn’t, you’ll need to go in person.
Disclaimer: This response is for informational purposes only and... View More
I'm a 15-year-old in Texas dealing with emotional abuse from my dad, who has partial custody. I realized about 5 years ago how serious the situation was, and last summer, I was hospitalized following a suicide attempt partly due to his actions. My counselor, therapist, and mom all agree that... View More
answered on Mar 31, 2025
It depends entirely upon the particular behavior that you consider "emotional abuse." You should turn over all of the evidence you have to your mom's attorney, who is more familiar with the facts and circumstances of your particular case than any attorney in a Q&A forum online.... View More
I need help with a temporary custody agreement that I was forced to sign without mutual consent. There were witnesses present at the time I signed the orders. I'm currently facing legal deadlines and some upcoming court dates related to this agreement. I have already sought legal advice, but... View More
I am the custodial parent with primary custody of my child under a standard possession order in Texas. My ex-mother-in-law is emailing my child's teachers but does not include me in those communications. Despite asking my ex-husband to have his mother include me, I have been told she is not... View More
answered on Mar 28, 2025
Yes, it is perfectly legal for your child's grandparent to email your child's teachers without including you on the emails.
It may, however, be illegal for your child's teachers to communicate certain types of personal and protected information about your child's... View More
I am no longer with my daughter's father, and I'm planning to file for child support next month. I am concerned because he wants to take our daughter to Mexico, and I don't trust him to bring her back. We do not have any formal custody agreements in place. How should I proceed to... View More
I live in Abilene, Texas, and share joint custody of my children with their father as per a court order. We are not married, but I've been living with him for a year and contribute to some bills and mortgage payments. He recently told me via text to find my own place. Can he legally kick me... View More
I have joint custody of my child, and I am the primary custodial parent. My child's father has stopped paying child support, and he currently owes over $9,000. According to the court orders, I am responsible for driving 1.5 hours to drop off and pick up my child for his visitation weekends.... View More
answered on Mar 21, 2025
You can file a motion to modify the transportation provisions of your custody order.
I was put on child support by default without being informed about any court proceedings, and I'm unsure if the child is biologically mine. How can I address this situation, contest the child support order, and request a paternity test?
answered on Mar 20, 2025
You need to challenge the court order entered without notice to you. The best method for such a challenge depends upon the procedural facts of your case. You need to consult an attorney experienced in both family law and appellate law as soon as possible because all of your available remedies... View More
The mother of my child is getting threats, death threats because her husband drove drunk and kill someone now the husband in jail and people are threatening the mother of my child they know where she lives where her parents live and I don’t like that my sons in the middle of all that what if... View More
My divorce was finalized in December 2023, and I was served with temporary orders in September 2024. Today, I discovered my ex-husband made medical decisions, specifically vaccinating our children, without informing me. We have 50/50 conservatorship, and the temporary orders state that the children... View More
answered on Mar 13, 2025
Ordinarily, during a parent’s time of possession, that parent can independently make medical decisions for the child which do not require invasive procedures like surgery. So either parent can consent for a child to vaccinations during that parent’s time of possession.
The exception is... View More
I need legal advice on obtaining full custody of my 2-year-old child. My child's father, who is also my abuser, was released from jail after being convicted of misdemeanor indecent assault and has a prior felony aggravated assault charge against me. There is no custody order in place, and no... View More
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answered on Mar 13, 2025
I'm so sorry you're going through this. Your concerns for your child's safety are completely valid. In Texas, you can request a protective order for yourself and your child based on a history of family violence and the likelihood of future harm. Given his conviction for indecent... View More
I'm trying to understand my rights as the non-custodial parent regarding spring break visitation. The custody agreement mentions specific terms for spring break, but I'm unclear about how the weekend visitation before spring break affects my rights. Could you explain my rights in this context?
answered on Mar 24, 2025
In the standard possession order, Spring Break begins on the day school is recessed for Spring Break and ends on the day school resumes after Spring Break. Commonly, school is recessed for Spring Break on a Friday at the end of the school day runs through the following week and then resumes on the... View More
I'm 16 years old and currently living with my mom and stepdad in Houston. My dad, who lives in Dubai, is preventing me from communicating with my 7-year-old brother, who lives in Portugal with my stepmom, because he believes I was involved in harassing my stepmom online. I want to wish my... View More
answered on Mar 5, 2025
You do not have legal recourse in this situation. As your parent, your father has the legal duty of care, control, protection, and reasonable discipline of you in the absence of a court order to the contrary. He also has the right to represent you in legal action and to take decisions of... View More
I have been taking care of my 13-year-old sister since June 2023, after my mother left Texas. My sister attends the school where I teach, and my mother provides no support or communication about her well-being. My mother has a history of drug use and has lost custody of my siblings and me in the... View More
In 2009, I was thrown out of a vehicle by my ex-husband, resulting in a brain hemorrhage. I survived but now suffer from mental issues and experience panic and anxiety attacks. There are medical records documenting the injury. I didn't pursue legal action against him at the time because he... View More
answered on Mar 3, 2025
It is unlikely that you can take any action against your ex-husband based on the 2009 incident now because of the statute of limitations, depending upon where that incident occurred and whether your injuries resulted in you being rendered "mentally incompetent."
You can take... View More
My child's father, who is the non-custodial parent, has court-ordered standard visitation rights. However, he is currently in hiding due to felony warrants. His family insists they have the right to exercise his visitation schedule, but I am uncomfortable with this and haven't found any... View More
answered on Feb 27, 2025
Without a court order explicitly granting visitation rights to the family members, they are not automatically entitled to exercise his visitation times. In the absence of a modification request or a legal document that includes the family members, you are not obligated to allow them visitation,... View More
I need assistance with filing for both custody enforcement and custody modification. The current custody order from 2018 includes vague terms with supervised visitation. Despite changes, where the father has unsupervised visits, the mother is now refusing any access. The father has tried to... View More
answered on Feb 28, 2025
The order shouldn't be vague unless you received only the ruling (1-3 pages on average), not the full final order (20-50 pages on average). Make sure you have the final order. If it's still vague, you may file your own modification suit (visitation) since you moved. It's probably... View More
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