Chain-yanking and other Post-Divorce Shenanigans can follow even the most amicable of divorces.  Your final judgment of divorce finally arrived. All of your problems are over. Your Ex is the physical custodial parent, but you have joint legal custody. No worries. He/She will abide by the visitation/custody order and everything will be fine, right?

Unfortunately, your Ex still has an ax to grind with you.  He/She is still angry about the toilet seat being left up, or the money spent on the lawyers in the divorce, or the hooker in Vegas…no matter the reason, they aren’t ready to let you off the hook just yet.  Taking it a step farther, let’s say you were the first to move on and establish a committed relationship; maybe you even re-married.

Sometimes, it’s the little things.  Everyone is at the exchange point on time, but the kids show up without a suitcase to stay a week.  Better yet, your Ex informs you that the kids packed their own bags and he/she has no idea what’s in there.  Sometimes, there’s a disagreement over what the final divorce order says, or what it means.  Then, of course, there are regularly conflicts over splitting costs outside of the child support check.  Health insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, ballet lessons and braces, are just a few examples of what you may have to fight over in the future.

If your Ex is yanking your chain and not abiding by the terms of the divorce order, you’ve got to decide how much you can stand.  No one wants to go straight back to Court after you just finished a divorce, however, you can’t set the stage for your Ex to intentionally violate you on a repeated basis with regard to the children you share.

Amber James, an attorney in North Alabama, recently had this to say about keeping things amicable:  http://newbeginningsfamilylaw.com/raising-healthy-kids-seven-tips-co-parenting-divorce/.  Once you’ve exhausted Ms. James’ tips, you may need to begin exploring your options regarding a contempt action.  A divorce order is a Court Order that must be obeyed, but the Court can’t know that there’s a problem unless you file a contempt action.  If the Court finds that your Ex is, in fact in contempt of court, there is a wide range of options available to fix the situation.  If the contempt is bad enough, the Court can even order the offender to jail.  I’ve seen it happen.  It’s not pretty.

I am happy to say that me and my Ex have reached a point at which we both understand that fighting our disagreements out in the legal system is costly and time-consuming.  However, it took a great deal of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth to get here.

If you believe your Ex is yanking your chain, or otherwise engaged in shenanigans with your children, give me a call at 251-445-0891, or email me at ron@mcbaylaw.com.  I will help you straighten this out.

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