Divorce Court Cannot Order a Parent to Take Meds or Go To Treatment

Facts: Father and mother married 09/06/05. They had child on 5/22/06. On 4/17/07, father filed for divorce.  Both mother and father sought joint custody, but only mother sought designation as the conservator with right to designate child’s primary residence. Evidence at trial showed that father had suffered from bipolar disorder and drug abuse since he was a teenager. Father had a history of starting and terminating treatment. At the time of marriage, father was not taking medication or attending counseling. In 12/05/07, father relapsed and used methamphetamine twice. Father restarted therapy and medication but did not take his medication consistently. On 05/29/08, trial court divorce decree appointing father and mother JMC and giving mother the right to establish the child’s primary residence. The decree required father to continue taking his medication, going to counseling, and attending AA meetings. Father appealed.

The court of appeals found the divorce judge committed error and reversed the decision.

Opinion: Although trial court had discretion to require father to continue treatment as a condition of possession and access, it could not simply issue stand-alone orders to father. Because complying with the orders was not a requirement for father to maintain his parental rights, the orders were not related in any matter to the child. They were, therefore, an abuse of trial court’s discretion.

Comment: Here, the court order failed to provide any link between the father’s access to the child and the requirement of continued medication and counseling. The father argued that the requirements pro-vided in the decree violated his rights as an “incapacitated person” under the Texas Probate Code. The Amarillo Court agreed. Another argument that father could have made here is that the court’s order requir-ing him to take medications violates his constitutional rights. Under Washington v. Harper, 494 U.S. 210 (1990), a person has a significant constitutionally protected liberty interest in avoiding the unwanted admin-istration of antipsychotic drugs. In order for the government to require someone to take medication against their will, there has to be a finding, by clear and convincing evidence, that the person is a danger to himself or others and the treatment is in the patient’s best interest. See Tex. Health & Safety Code §574.106(a-1). So, although a judge can enter orders affecting the child based on the parent’s decision to take or not take medication, the court cannot order the parent to take the medication outside of an involuntary suit under the Texas Health and Safety Code. M.M.O.

 

In re Marriage of Swim, __ S.W.3d __, 2009 WL 1940877 (Tex. App. — Amarillo 2009, no pet. h.)

 

 

 

 

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Photo of Michelle O'Neil Michelle O'Neil

Michelle May O’Neil has 30+ years’ experience representing small business owners, professionals, and individuals in litigation related to family law matters such as divorce, child custody, and complex property division. Described by one lawyer as “a lethal combination of sweet-and-salty”, Ms. O’Neil exudes…

Michelle May O’Neil has 30+ years’ experience representing small business owners, professionals, and individuals in litigation related to family law matters such as divorce, child custody, and complex property division. Described by one lawyer as “a lethal combination of sweet-and-salty”, Ms. O’Neil exudes genuine compassion for her client’s difficulties, yet she can be relentless when in pursuit of a client’s goals. One judge said of Ms. O’Neil, “She cannot be out-gunned, out-briefed, or out-lawyered!”

Family Law Specialist

Ms. O’Neil became a board-certified family law specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 1997 and has maintained her certification since that time. While representing clients in litigation before the trial court is an important part of her practice, Ms. O’Neil also handles appellate matters in the trial court, courts of appeals and Texas Supreme Court. Lawyers frequently consult with Ms. O’Neil on their litigation cases about specialized legal issues requiring particularized attention both at the trial court and appellate levels. This gives her a unique perspective and depth of perception that benefits both her litigation and appellate clients.

Top Lawyers in Texas and America

Ms. O’Neil has been named to the list of Texas SuperLawyers for many years, a peer-voted honor given to only about 5% of the lawyers in the state of Texas. Ms. O’Neil received the special honor of being named by Texas SuperLawyers as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Texas, Top 100 Lawyers in Texas, and Top 100 Lawyers in DFW for multiple years. She was named one of the Best Lawyers in America and received an “A-V” peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directories for the highest quality legal ability and ethical standards.

Author and Speaker

A noted author, Ms. O’Neil released her second book Basics of Texas Divorce Law in November 2010, with a second edition released in 2013, and a third edition expected in 2015.  Her first book, All About Texas Law and Kids, was published in September 2009 by Texas Lawyer Press. In 2012, Ms. O’Neil co-authored the booklets What You Need To Know About Common Law Marriage In Texas and Social Study Evaluations.  The State Bar of Texas and other providers of continuing education for attorneys frequently enlist Ms. O’Neil to provide instruction to attorneys on topics of her expertise in the family law arena.