Are you worried that your soon-to-be ex will bad-mouth you to your kids after your divorce? If so, you might want to learn about the non-disparagement divorce clause in Texas.
This clause is a portion of your divorce settlement or custody agreement that states that neither party will make disparaging remarks about the other in the presence of the children.
Are you curious to learn more about why this might be a good idea in your divorce? Let's take a look at how the non-disparagement clause can be in the best interest of your children and more.
A non-disparagement clause is a section of a contract that prevents involved parties from making negative or derogatory statements about the other.
You can commonly find this type of clause in a number of different types of contracts, including:
As you can see, non-disparagement clauses are often included in contracts that outline agreements having to do with business relationships. However, this type of clause is often also a part of divorce decrees when two people are getting divorced with children. You can also find non-disparagement clauses in child custody agreements in Texas.
When involved in family law matters, non-disparagement clauses aim to prohibit both parents from making negative comments about each other in front of their children. In some cases, the clause might be written so that both parents as well as other household members are prohibited from talking negatively about the other parent.
You might consider including a non-disparagement clause in your divorce or custody agreement if you are getting divorced with minor children. The purpose of this type of clause is to protect the best interest of your children as well as both parents.
Whether a non-disparagement clause is something you will want to include in your divorce or custody agreement has to do with your custody rights, possession, and access to your children.
There are two categories of child custody rights in Texas, which are:
Conservatorship refers to the duties and rights of parents in relation to making decisions about important matters that impact their children. This can include the children's education, religion, healthcare, and more. There are two different types of conservatorship in Texas:
The visitation rights of parents in Texas are referred to as possession and access. Parents have the option to choose a standard possession and access schedule or an extended standard possession and access schedule. They also can choose to create a custom schedule to suit their particular needs so long as they are able to reach an agreement.
The primary consideration of Texas courts is always the best interest of the child when it comes to divorce and custody cases. For this reason, the agreement and schedule need to be based on what is best for the child.
When both parents share visitation rights, you might find that a non-disparagement clause is beneficial. This language in your contract can help make sure that neither parent is bad-mouthing the other in front of the children.
Wondering how custody is determined in Texas? Learn about who gets the kids after a Texas divorce here.
When one parent disparages the other in front of their children, it can be considered a type of custodial interference. This type of behavior can produce distrust and tension between the two parents, which can make it much more difficult to effectively share in the responsibilities of parenting.
Children can also be deeply impacted by parents bad-mouthing one another. When you include a non-disparagement clause, it can help ensure that the child has a positive experience with both parents. The last thing that you want is for your kids to feel like they have to pick sides between their parents or feel alienated from one of their parents.
Confirming that one party actually violated a non-disparagement clause can be challenging. Evidence of a pattern is necessary, which means that one passing comment won't be enough for a court to take any action. Going back to court can be difficult for the children as well, so it's worth considering the severity of the disparagement, whether it negatively impacted your children, and whether you might be able to receive a favorable outcome through the court system.
How a court will respond to a parent that has repeatedly breached the contract between themselves and another parent depends on the violations and behaviors involved. In some cases, the court might just give them a warning that harsher penalties could be coming down the line, such as losing their parenting time.
Right after you get divorced, it can be difficult to hold back your feelings about your ex in front of your kids. However, both parents upholding the non-disparagement clause of an agreement can help reduce the stress and negative impact of divorce on your kids.
When two parties sign a properly written non-disparagement clause, the agreement is legally binding. However, actually enforcing them can be quite difficult. The reason for this is that the allegations of a non-disparagement clause violation often devolve into a back and forth “he said she said” scenario, making it very hard to determine with any certainty who is in the right.
One parent can take the matter to court if they feel that their co-parent has disparaged them in front of the children. Usually, though, a judge won’t impose serious penalties or take away the visitation rights of the non-compliant parent. This is particularly true if there isn’t enough evidence to prove that the parent broke the contract.
If you're worried about the behavior of your spouse after you get divorced, you're probably also concerned that they will try and pull something funny during the divorce. It can be useful to familiarize yourself with some of the common sneaky divorce tactics to know what you should be keeping an eye out for.
If you are able to present documented evidence that your co-parent disparaged you in front of the children while your case is ongoing, the other parent could receive less parenting time than they would have otherwise. You will want to talk to your lawyer about whether or not you have substantial evidence of this type of occurrence, as they will help you understand your options and assist you in understanding the best course of action.
Wondering if your prenup already outlines what will happen with child custody and support? In Texas, a prenuptial agreement can't set the terms for future child custody and support. You can learn more about premarital agreements in Texas here.
If your ex has been violating the non-disparagement divorce clause that you both signed, there are a number of steps you will want to take.
The first step is to gather any evidence you can that shows that your ex violated the non-disparagement divorce clause in your agreement.
Some examples of this type of proof includes:
One-off comments typically aren’t enough when it comes to proving that your ex violated a non-disparagement clause. There is too much wiggle room with this type of thing, where the comment could have been misheard, misunderstood, taken out of context, or said in jest. In order for a court to take the accusation of breach of contract seriously, they will need to see evidence that there is a clear history of your ex making disparaging comments with the children present.
The next step is to compare the evidence that you were able to collect to the specific language in the divorce or custody order. This will help you understand whether the negative comments that your ex-spouse is making fit within the boundaries of the agreement you both signed.
In order for it to be worth pursuing at all, you will need to make sure that the legal verbiage that is in the divorce order matches up with the evidence and proof you've gathered. If it doesn't, your ex could make the argument that you don't have sufficient evidence to enforce the clause because it doesn't align completely with the language of the divorce order.
Once you've compared the language of the disparagement clause with the evidence you've gathered, you can determine whether it's worth moving forward with your claim that your ex violated your agreement.
If you feel the evidence aligns with the language, it's time to talk to your family law attorney. In order to receive a favorable outcome, you'll want to have the tools necessary to present the best possible argument in front of the court.
A family law attorney will be able to help you:
When you talk to your lawyer, you can ask them how long you expect the process to take and what the different possible outcomes are. This can help you gauge whether it's worth taking the non-disparagement breach of contract to court. In some cases, you might find that the potential outcomes are not particularly favorable and it isn't worth persuing for the sake of the children's well-being.
Researchers have been studying the impact of parental conflict on children for many decades at this point, and perhaps the most toxic aspect of divorce for children is conflict between their parents. Consistently, studies have found that conflict before, during, and after the separation of parents is “highly predictive of children’s psychological and emotional well-being.”
For example, parental conflict has been associated with a number of different issues in children, including:
In addition to developing emotional disorders, children whose parents fight frequently can suffer from “more subtle internal symptoms of distress” such as feelings of blame and loss.
Some parents will put their children in the middle of their disagreements, which can mean that the kids are taking on roles that are inappropriate for their stage of development. They might find themselves trying to protect a distraught parent, serving as a confidant, or trying to resolve their parents’ fights.
These issues can also crop up when a parent purposefully denigrates the other parent in front of their children, which is another problematic pattern.
In some unfortunate cases, a parent will try and convince their kid that their other parent should be rejected. There is a lot of controversy about the concept of parental alienation, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize that this type of activity could be very harmful to a child.
According to a number of studies, the following points were found regarding parental alienation in families:
Another study found that parental denigration is usually a two-way street. When denigration is present, it is largely reciprocal. When both parents are talking badly about the other, studies have found that children feel less close to both parents along with less mutual trust, increased feelings of isolation from both parents, and poorer communication quality.
While this type of behavior seems to put distance between children and both of their parents, the study found that the “denigrator parent” is actually the one that children most often feel especially distanced from.
Children who have been raised in environments that involved parental denigration are reported to have:
If you are tempted to speak negatively about your co-parent in front of your children, it’s worth noting that children tend to blame the divorce on the person who is doing the trash-talking, not the one who is being denigrated.
Divorce is an emotional time, but it’s important to be conscious of what you are saying about your co-parent in front of your children. Not only does speaking negatively about them increase the likelihood that your children will experience a number of negative mental health effects, but it can also damage your relationship with them.
Co-parenting can be difficult, but it’s ultimately best for children to have a positive relationship with both parents.
There are a number of different violations that can occur in relation to child custody agreements in addition to a breach of a non-disparagement clause. It's worth understanding the types of child custody violations as the consequences of violating one of them can be quite serious.
One of the most common ways that child custody orders are enforced is when the parent that violated the order is held in contempt of court. If a parent doesn't fulfill their child support obligations or violates the terms of their custody order in Texas, they can be found in contempt. However, sufficient evidence is necessary.
They also might not hold a parent in contempt if there are specific provisions missing in the order relating to the following information:
If a parent tries to get in the way of the other parent's possession or visitation rights, a court is probably going to find them in contempt of court. If the other parent made it possible for the violating parent to comply or they encouraged the violation, the court won't hold the violating parent in contempt.
The penalties of being held in contempt of court include up to six months in county jail and up to $500 in fines. If you are being accused of violating a child custody order, you will most likely want to work with a lawyer to help provide your legal defense.
Getting divorced is never easy, and it's particularly difficult when there are children involved. Divorce can be very hard on children even when everything is fairly amicable. When divorcing parents are caught in a constant state of conflict, it can take a serious toll on the well-being of children.
For this reason, adding a nondisparagement clause to your divorce agreement is worth considering. Even if you feel that you and your ex are getting along well now, it can still be useful to outline boundaries in writing to help keep the best interest of the kids front and center.
If you're thinking about incorporating this clause into your agreement, it's a good idea to talk to your lawyer. The language of legal contracts is very important, and you'll want to make sure that the agreement you're drafting serves your desired purpose.
If you're getting divorced in Texas, it can be useful to learn as much as possible about the entire process. If you're searching for more resources about Texas family law, be sure to check out the rest of our blog at TexasDivorceLaws.org.
What to Do if Ex is Violating Non-Disparagement Divorce Clause in Texas
Who Gets the Kids After a Texas Divorce?
Adultery in Texas Divorce: How It Affects Child Custody and Alimony
Child Support in Texas: How Much is It?
How Much is Child Support in Texas?
Child Support Lawyer in Texas: How to Pick the Best Attorney
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