Paperwork errors/moving and visitation

[tartxcherries]

I received my standard visitation paperwork last month that was filed in August. My ex was living just over 100 miles (2 hours away) at the time and this past week moved a further 300 miles (6 hours there) away. The problems I am having now is over who is responsible for the driving for the visitations. When she filed she used 2 wrong addresses for me (her/our old address and my other old address after moving out from with them are both in the paperwork for me) even though I have been at my current address since mid July. My actual visitation amount is the same (my choice of weekend once a month with 14 days notice) however I was originally supposed to do the picking up and dropping off. Now that she has moved and I have not the papers state she is supposed to pick up the kids at the end of the visit and I still pick them up at the beginning. I emailed her tonight for my first visit since her move to be next month, and she is claiming that she is not responsible for any of the driving because my old address is on the papers so it looks like I moved too, even though I did over a month before the orders were filed. I'm not sure what to do now, she is 6 hours away, and 12 hours of driving twice in one weekend will make it very hard to visit the kids the one weekend a month I now get with them. What do I do? Do I just pick them up like she said I can and tell her I expect her to pick them up on Sunday when she has already made it clear that she won't be doing and of the driving? She left her car when she moved and is now living with a friend, and is claiming that is another reason she won't drive. I'm afraid if I tell her I'm picking up the kids that Friday as is my right and that she needs to figure out how to pick them up on Sunday that she will just refuse the visit after I drive all the way there.

 

[army judge]

You have a very big problem.

Some might say it's your fault.

Some might blame her.

The only way to ensure everyone "plays nice" is take the dispute back to the judge/court that issued the original order.

I wouldn't violate the order, play games, pull tricks, or disobey the order.

I would obey the order until it gets changed.

Be advised, that might not happen.

Why?

You should have spoken up then, rather than doing it now.

Her move just might have made big trouble for her.

Don't you be stupid and make trouble for yourself.

If 12 hours is to troublesome for you, don't take the visit.

But, do get the order corrected, if possible.

Good luck.

 

[tartxcherries]

Oh I definitely don't want to violate any of the orders, at some point I'd like to get more access to the kids, so I recognize that I have to be very careful of all my actions from here on out, because it sure seems like she isn't going to be. I was very upset that she gave me 4 days notice that she was moving so far away and now I find out her, her gf that she left me for and the 3 kids are living in a 2 bedroom trailer with 2 other adults. I wasn't sure there was much I can do about her moving though since the papers also gave her no geographic restrictions on where she moves with the kids. The big problem is that by the orders she should be picking up the kids, but I don't know if that's legally correct because of the address mix up. Currently I'm waiting for a lawyer to contact me back, but I was hoping the error in my address could be addressed by calling the AG or some such, but that doesn't seem likely.

Also, she moved from east tx to Lubbock and I'm in the Dallas metroplex, right now obviously all of the requests are going to be sent to the east tx courts it started at, but am I right in assuming that she can have the jurisdiction changed to Lubbock and I'd then have to go to court there instead? Or will she now have to keep coming back to east tx every time we go to court for this?

ETA: nothing is too "troublesome" to be able to see my kids, but I would be lying to say that adding an extra 12 hours driving time to the weekend wouldn't make it more difficult as well as cutting down my actual visitation time.

 

[army judge]

OP, the kids will be with you during the drive.
That can be quality time for all of you.

Getting a lawyer is smart.

She also has to obey the order.

She may have violated it.

Once you have retained counsel, there might be legal maneuvers that can vastly improve your position.

I'm surprised there are no geographic restrictions.

Texas custody orders normally limit moves to the county or within 100-200.

Your lawyer will help you right this crooked mess.

It won't be easy to have jurisdiction changed to West Texas, if you get a shark of a lawyer.

 

[Proserpina]

Agreed.

And wrt driving long distances - oh my gosh, the number of parents who actually come back to tell us what an incredible time they have once ALL parties accept that they are going to be stuck in the car together, is just incredible.

Though I do see your point, OP.