Originally published by 1p21.admin.
In a perfect world, a final decree of divorce would only be used as a fallback
measure for families after a divorce has been completed. You and your
ex-spouse would be able to work together to settle issues on your own
and to deviate from the orders when and if the need to arises. In doing
so you would have a situation that is much more flexible and based on
the needs of your family. Your family would be happier and more cohesive
and your need to return to court over issues related to your divorce would
be greatly reduced.
If you are working through a divorce that involves
family violence you know that your world is far from perfect, however. Not only is your
family unit dissolving before your eyes but your ability to co-parent
with your soon to be ex-spouse is minimal because of their issues and
history of abusing you and/or your child. In situations where most families
could resolve their conflicts with words, your family may have to head
back to court for any resolution. This is not ideal, either for your or
your ex-spouse.
Recommendations for language to be included into your Final Decree of Divorce
In anticipation of a return to court, or simply to ensure yourself the
best opportunity to arrive at a divorce decree that is comprehensive and
well written, it makes sense to be as specific as possible in drafting
your final decree of divorce. There will be fewer questions as to what
a particular order means and less of a reason for you and your ex-spouse
to talk and interact. While normally I would encourage ex-spouses to communicate,
in the event that your ex-spouse has a history of being violent with you
this is not something that is a desirable outcome.
An ideal
Final Decree of Divorce is one that anticipates future events that your family could encounter
and then takes those future events into consideration. For instance, you
should make sure that your order is as specific as possible when it comes
to exchange locations and times for alternating periods of possession
of your child. Think ahead to determine if the location is safe and feasible
for you. A location may be convenient for your spouse but not for you.
Likewise, you may not feel safe in a particular place and should make
this known to your attorney.
Who is enabled under your order to pick up and drop off your child during
possession exchanges?
Often times a Final Decree of Divorce will include language that allows
for a competent adult to accompany a child for drop-off/pick up at these
exchange points. If, for instance, your spouse is stuck at work until
7:00 p.m. on a Friday then he can have his mother pick up the kids from
your home. Most of the time this is a harmless setup that is engaged in
primary to make the logistics work when it comes top picking up/dropping
off your child.
In situations that involve family violence there may be people that you
are not comfortable with picking up or dropping off your child. For instance,
if your ex-spouse has family members who have been threatening or unpleasant
for you or your child to deal with it may be appropriate for your attorney
to raise this point. These are people that you should have included in
your final orders that are specifically named as persons that cannot assist
in pick-up/drop-off situations.
Do you need to include limitations on travel- either domestic or international?
Violence is a means of exerting control over a person. If your spouse has
either been violent with you or your child the likely motivation is control.
After you and your spouse divorce their ability to control you and your
life is diminished so he or she may be looking for a new way to exert
some control over you.
With this in mind you should consider having language inserted into your
final decree of divorce that requires both you and your spouse to notify
the other parent in advance of any overnight trips that will be taken
while your child is in either of your possession. It would be up to you
how specific you would like it to get but I have seen orders include day
by day breakdowns of where you all will be and emergency contact information.
For international travel you and your ex-spouse need to determine who will
hold on to the passport of your child when travel is not occurring. Typically
the parent with the right to determine the primary residence of your child
is able to hold onto the passport. This is done so that the non primary
parent cannot scoop your child up on a weekend visit and take him or her
abroad with your knowledge or consent.
Enforcing a Final Decree of Divorce
Making it through your divorce is tough enough before you have to consider
the possibility of having to return to court if your ex-spouse violates
your orders. For a person who has a history of engaging in family violence
it is likely that he or she feels like they are above the law and that
they cannot be held responsible for their actions. As such, a court order
is no reason for them to stop acting any way that they please towards you.
Thankfully, Texas family law courts allow you to file enforcement lawsuits
if and when your ex-spouse has violated your Final Decree of Divorce.
Often times this is the only remedy that you will have available to you
in the situation because in your ex-spouse’s mind he or she is always
justified in doing whatever it is that they happen to be doing at that
time. As a result, reasoning with him or her or pointing out the specific
areas that that they are violating the court’s order is not going
to be effective.
Consider whether or not your divorce actually held your ex-spouse accountable
for their past bad acts of abuse. If your ex-spouse is likely to have
thought that the court is now a partner in allowing him or her to act
however they would like in regard to you and your child this is a dangerous
sign. You are being put in an unenviable position of needing to protect
yourself and your child while ensuring that your ex-spouse does not walk
all over either of you.
In this situation you should take an violation of the court’s order
to file an
enforcement suit against your ex-spouse. Nip this behavior in the bud and seek to
ensure that it does not happen again. This will require that you hire
an attorney and file a new lawsuit which I realize can consume both time
and money. However, you can either do so at this stage or do so at a later
stage when your ex-spouse may have grown more aggressive in their taking
liberties with the court order.
Remove any drama from the situation by asserting your rights immediately.
Note the specific instances where your court order has been violated and
specify the remedies from the court that you are seeking as a result of
the violations. An enforcement case requires that specific language be
included in the petition so you should hire an attorney before doing so.
Questions on divorce and domestic violence? Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan
Thank you for your time in reading our series of blog posts that dealt
with domestic violence and divorce. No divorce is easy, especially one
that involves family violence. These type of cases require special attention
and knowledge of how the law can help and protect you and your family.
The attorneys with the
Law Office of Bryan Fagan have the experience you need to proceed with a case like this.
To learn more about divorce in Texas please do not hesitate to
contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan. We offer free of charge consultations with
one of our licensed family law attorneys six days a week. We can answer
your questions and discuss the services that we can provide to you as
a client of ours.
Curated by Texas Bar Today. Follow us on Twitter @texasbartoday.
from Texas Bar Today https://ift.tt/2PrV8l2
via Abogado Aly Website
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