Legal Question in Family Law in Texas

Child Custody Part 2

Part 2

dad lives 400 miles away and although he does phone M. some, he is very similar to K. and partying is more important to him than his daughter. K. is an alcoholic and is addicted to pain pills � she received a DWI in April 2006. She continues to come back and forth into M.�s life, going from relationship to relationship and has never put M. first. It�s her, her boyfriends, her friends, her partying�.. , which has brought our family to the current situation. M. is in counseling because she is suffering from depression and anxiety. K. uses M. as a shield and a weapon against anyone that calls her out on her behavior, thus no one wants to cross her. My parents are physically, mentally, and emotionally worn out. We are prepared to sever ties with K. and work with the father to terminate K.�s parental rights. We do not want to lose M. to her father, my parents are the only stability she has known her entire life. We want to work with the father, to see if we can arrange a shared custody between him and my parents. Do my parents as grandparents have any recourse? They are on a fixed income, both are 63 years of age. I am in the process of selling my home so that I can relocate to help raise M. thanks


Asked on 5/30/07, 3:19 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
James Grissom Law Office of James P. Grissom

Re: Child Custody Part 2

You need to find the custody order to see what it says. Go back to the court where it was entered and pay the fee to the district clerk to retrieve it. I don't see why shared custody with the father is a good idea if he is not there. Your inquiry took 2 sections to transmit your problem. Thus, it should be obvious that this is not a simple matter - not overly complex, but several issues. If you or the grandparents want custody of the child, they will have to prove that the parents are unfit. This will require records and testimony. This is not cheap. If the child's life is worth this effort, see a family law attorney. See if payment arrangements can be worked out. It would be extremely difficult for an attorney to do this job pro bono (free), but you could contact your local county bar association or the State Bar of Texas to see if such resources are available. Good Luck.

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Answered on 5/30/07, 3:31 pm


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