Legal Question in Family Law in Texas

I am recently divorce and since then my oldest daughter, 16, got into an early college program. She is a full time student living in a dorm that I pay for. I pay for all text books, meal plan, and dorm, and he is refusing to pay half. Under Texas law, can I hold him accountable for half of her expenses as I am her custodial parent and how to I go about it?

Sidenote: He does pay child support and I do as well for the daughter he has costody of.


Asked on 10/19/11, 4:34 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Thomas Daley KoonsFuller PC

You probably cannot get an order requiring him to pay half of those expenses. You would have to establish those expenses as a need of the child (and early college programs are never a need) in order to get an order requiring him to pay above guideline support.

If he is paying less than guideline support, you are very likely to be able to get him to pay guideline support through the modification process.

The Texas Family Code just doesn't recognize these kinds of programs as a need of the child.

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Answered on 10/23/11, 9:02 pm


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