Child custody

Texas Court Limits Visitation Due to History of Family Violence

Published on: February 23, 2022 | by Francesca Blackard

iStock-839381426-300x200 Texas family law includes a rebuttable presumption that appointing both parents as joint managing conservators is in the child’s best interest. Tex. Fam. Code § 153.131. The presumption can be rebutted upon a finding of a history of family violence. A mother recently challenged a trial court’s order, arguing in part that the court failed to properly apply the presumption.

Paternity Suit Filed

The parents were not married when the child was born, but lived together until the father was deployed a few months later. The father did not move back in when he returned from his deployment.

The Office of the attorney general petitioned to establish the relationship between the father and the child. The father was adjudicated to be the father and was given the exclusive right to designate the child’s primary residence with a geographic restriction in a temporary order. The mother was given a standard possession order and required to pay child support.

Successor Judge Had Authority to Reform Judgment in Texas Parental Adjudication Case

Published on: May 9, 2021 | by Kelly McClure

BSgavelx1200-768x432-1 The trial court in a Texas family law case has only a limited ability to change its judgment once its plenary power expires. Generally, plenary power lasts for thirty days from the date the final judgment is signed, but it may be extended if the court overrules certain motions or modifies the judgment while it still has plenary power.

In a recent case, a mother challenged the court’s authority to reform the judgment. According to the appeals court’s opinion, she had petitioned for the adjudication of the parentage of her child. Both the mother and the alleged father sought an order adjudicating him to be the child’s father.

The parties reached a partial agreement and went to trial on the remaining issues.

Texas Custody Schedule Changed Due to School Absences

Published on: May 2, 2021 | by McClure Law Group

iStock-1252096710 A parent’s behavior may affect their rights to access and possession of their child in a Texas custody case. In a recent case, the trial court’s order provided that the schedule would change if the child had a certain number of unexcused absences or instances of tardiness while in the mother’s care.

According to the appeals court’s opinion, the trial court entered a custom possession order (CPO) as part of a modification order at the end of January 2020. Pursuant to the CPO, the father had the right to possession of the child from Wednesday morning to Friday morning each week and from Friday morning to Monday morning every other weekend, and the parents alternated holidays and school breaks. The CPO also provided that the mother’s possession schedule would change to the Standard Possession Schedule if the child had a total of any combination of five unexcused absences and “tardies” from school, as determined by the school, while in the mother’s possession.

Father Moves to Impose Standard Possession Order

The father moved to confirm and clarify the order and requested an injunction in April 2020. He alleged the child had been tardy five days and absent two days during the fall semester of 2019. He asked the court to confirm and clarify that the standard possession schedule was in effect and to grant an injunction.

Texas Custody Modification Upheld Despite Conflicting Evidence

Published on: March 28, 2021 | by Kelly McClure

iStock-1139699594 When a court considers Texas child custody and visitation, the child’s best interest is the primary concern. The court considers certain factors, including what the child wants, the child’s current and future needs, any danger to the child, the parents’ respective abilities, programs available, the parents’ plans for the child, stability, any acts or omissions indicating the relationship between the parent and child is not proper, and any excuse for those acts or omissions.

A father recently appealed a denial of his petition for modification and grant of the mother’s counterpetition. At the time of the divorce, the trial court ordered the parties not to move from a specific area without a modification order or written agreement filed with the court. Neither parent was given the exclusive right to designate the child’s primary residence. Nonetheless, both parents moved outside of the geographical boundary after the divorce.

Texas Grandmother Has Standing to File Custody Suit

Published on: March 25, 2021 | by Francesca Blackard

iStock-902725964-scaled In Texas custody cases, it can be very difficult for a non-parent to obtain custody or visitation of a child over the objection of a parent. In some circumstances, however, a non-parent (such as a grandparent) has the right to file suit seeking custody or visitation. One such circumstance is when the person has recently had care, custody, and control of the child for at least six months.

In a recent case, a grandmother sought custody of her son’s child after her son’s death. According to the appeals court’s opinion, the child was born in 2014. From 2014 to 2020, the child and parents lived in various places, including the paternal grandmother’s home in Wilson County. From 2017 to 2019, the child went to daycare in Wilson County. From August 2019 to January 22, 2020, the parents and child lived with the paternal grandmother.

Texas Supervised Visitation

Published on: March 16, 2021 | by Kelly McClure

iStock-545456068-scaled A court must base its decisions regarding custody and visitation primarily on the child’s best interest. In a recent Texas case, a father challenged a court’s modification of his prior possession order, restricting him to supervised visitation with his daughter.

The mother petitioned to be named the child’s sole managing conservator and asked the court to either deny visitation with the father or, in the alternative, to require it to be supervised. She alleged the child had reported being spanked, being physically punished by her stepmother and her step-grandmother, being forced to stand in a corner, being underfed sometimes, being subjected to verbal abuse and threats of physical violence, and being required to stay in her room watching television for hours while she was in her father’s custody. The mother also alleged the child’s foot had been injured by her step-grandmother and not given medical attention. She further alleged the child’s stepmother repeatedly tried to put makeup on the child when she was allergic to it.

Texas Parental Presumption and Joint Managing Conservatorship

Published on: February 28, 2021 | by McClure Law Group

There is a strong presumption in Texas family law that it is in the child’s best interest for a parent to be awarded custody over a non-parent. In a recent case, a father appealed a judgment naming him joint managing conservator with the child’s maternal grandmother. A central issue in the case was the father’s argument that he should have been appointed the child’s sole managing conservator based upon the parental presumption.

Supervised Visitation Not Required for Texas Mother after Sobriety

Published on: February 21, 2021 | by Francesca Blackard

In Texas custody cases, a court may only issue an order denying possession of a child or imposing restrictions or limitations on a parent’s right to possession to the extent necessary to protect the child’s best interest. Tex. Fam. Code § 153.193. Thus, a court may only order that a parent’s visitation with a child be supervised if doing so is in the child’s best interest.

A father recently challenged a court’s denial of his request for supervised visitation and drug testing of the mother.

Evidence of Adultery and Drug Use in a Texas Custody Case

Published on: February 14, 2021 | by McClure Law Group

Evidence is important in any case, including a Texas child-custody dispute. In a recent case, a father challenged a trial court’s divorce decree based on the exclusion of certain evidence at trial. iStock-818445486

Texas Appeals Court Affirms Order Changing Child’s Surname to Match His Father’s

Published on: February 1, 2021 | by Francesca Blackard

iStock-1147846829 Sometimes parents disagree about whose surname a child should have. Texas family law allows a court to order a name change for a child if the change is in the child’s best interest. Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 45.004. Additionally, when a court adjudicates parentage, it may order a name change if a parent requests it and “for good cause shown.” Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 160.636. Some appeals courts have held that those are two distinct tests, while others have held that the child’s best interest is necessarily good cause and simply determine if the change would be in the child’s best interest even when the name change is requested pursuant to § 160.636.

A mother recently appealed a court order changing her son’s surname to that of his father.