Following a divorce in Texas involving minor children, the court typically puts a visitation order in place. This order informs each parent of what is expected of them regarding child visitation. However, despite their clear guidelines, parents don’t always abide by child visitation orders. If you need assistance enforcing a child visitation order in Texas, please review the information below and contact a Denton County family law attorney as soon as possible.
What is visitation enforcement?
Visitation enforcement occurs when a judge forces a party to follow a child visitation order at the request of the other parent. There are many ways that the court can enforce the visitation order, but enforcement typically involves some form of punishment for the violating party. A party may request enforcement of their visitation when:
- That party is denied access to his or her children
- The other parent refuses to communicate with the complaining party
The need for enforcement frequently arises in the following situations:
- When one parent attempts to change dates and times of visitation
- When one parent frequently arrives late to visitation
- When one parent threatens to end the other parent’s visitation
- When one parent assigns another person to pick up and drop off the child in violation of the order
- When one parent withholds visitation because the other parent is behind on child support
- When one parent limits the other parent’s visitation for any reason not permitted by the child visitation order
- When one parent changes his or her address without updating the other parent or the court
- When one parent unilaterally alters the child’s schedule and expects the other parent to adhere to it
- The custodial parent moves outside of a geographic restriction from the court
Remedies
When a parent fails to abide by a visitation order, the other parent can seek enforcement by requesting that the court:
- Change the visitation plan
- Increase his or her visitation time
- Schedule additional visits
- Hold the custodial parent in contempt of court
- Order the payment of attorney’s fees
- Change the custody arrangement
What is contempt of court?
Contempt is a way to force a party to adhere to a court’s order after the party’s failure to do so. And civil contempt is the way that the court seeks to obtain compliance with its order. Common contempt options include:
- Jailing an offending party until the party complies with the order
- Imposing a fine on the offending party due to noncompliance with the court’s order
Contact our Denton County visitation enforcement lawyer
If you are seeking to enforce a visitation order in Texas, you need an experienced attorney on your side. At Youngberg Law Firm, we understand the difficulties you are going through and will work with you to achieve a successful outcome. Our experienced family law attorneys serve clients throughout Denton County, including Flower Mound, Highland Village, Argyle, Corinth, Little Elm, Lewisville, Sanger, Krum, and Denton. Therefore, if you need a family law attorney in Texas, please contact us today for a consultation.