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Dallas County District Clerk's
"GENERAL ORDERS"

Dallas County Standing Order Regarding Children,
Property and Conduct of the Parties

No party to this lawsuit has requested this Order. Rather, this Order is a standing Order of the Dallas County District Courts that applies in every divorce suit and every suit affecting the parent-child relationship filed in Dallas County. The District Courts of Dallas County have adopted this Order because the parties and their children should be protected and their property preserved while the lawsuit is pending before the court. Therefore, it is ORDERED:

1.  NO DISRUPTION OF CHILDREN

Both parties are ORDERED to refrain from doing the following acts concerning any children who are subjects of this case:

• 1.1   Removing the children from the State of Texas, acting directly or in concert with others, without the written agreement of both parties or an Order of this Court.
  
• 1.2   Disrupting or withdrawing the children from the school or day-care facility where the children are presently enrolled, without the written agreement of both parents or an Order of this Court.
  
• 1.3   Hiding or secreting the children from the other parent or changing the children’s current place of abode, without the written agreement of both parents or an Order of this Court.
  
• 1.4   Disturbing the peace of the children.

2.  CONDUCT OF THE PARTIES DURING THE CASE

Both parties are ORDERED to refrain from doing the following acts:

• 2.1   Using vulgar, profane, obscene, or indecent language, or a coarse or offensive manner to communicate with the other party, whether in person, by telephone, or in writing.
  
• 2.2   Threatening the other party in person, by telephone, or in writing to take unlawful action against any person.
  
• 2.3   Placing one or more telephone calls, at an unreasonable hour, in an offensive or repetitious manner, without a legitimate purpose of communication or anonymously.
  
• 2.4   Opening or diverting mail addressed to the other party.

3.  PRESERVATION OF PROPERTY AND USE OF FUNDS DURING DIVORCE CASE

If this is a divorce case, both parties to the marriage are ORDERED to refrain from doing the following acts:

• 3.1   Destroying, removing, concealing, encumbering, transferring, or otherwise harming or reducing the value of the property of one or both of the parties.
  
• 3.2   Misrepresenting or refusing to disclose to the other party or to the Court, on proper request, the existence, amount, or location of any property of one or both of the parties.
  
• 3.3   Damaging or destroying the tangible property of one or both of the parties,including any document that represents or embodies anything of value.
  
• 3.4    Tampering with the tangible property of one or both of the parties, including any document that represents or embodies anything of value, and causing pecuniary loss to the other party.
  
• 3.5   Selling, transferring, assigning, mortgaging encumbering, or in any other manner alienating any of the property of either party, whether personal property or real estate property, and whether separate or community except as specifically authorized by this Order.
  
• 3.6   Incurring any indebtedness other than legal expenses in connection with this suit, except as specifically authorized by this Order.
  
• 3.7   Making withdrawals from any checking or savings account in any financial institution for any purpose, except as specifically authorized by this Order.
  
• 3.8   Spending any sum of cash in either party’s possession or subject to either party’s control for any purpose, except as specifically authorized by this Order.
  
• 3.9   Withdrawing or borrowing in any manner for any purpose from any retirement, profit-sharing, pension, death, or other employee benefit plan or employee savings plan or from any individual retirement account or Keogh account, except as specifically authorized by this Order.
  
• 3.10   Signing or endorsing the other party’s name on any negotiable instrument, check, or draft, such as tax refunds, insurance payments and dividends or attempting to negotiate any negotiable instrument payable to the other party without the personal signature of the other party.
  
• 3.11   Taking any action to terminate or limit credit or charge cards in the name of the other party.
  
• 3.12   Entering, operating, or exercising control over the motor vehicle in the possession of the other party.
  
• 3.13   Discontinuing or reducing the withholding for federal income taxes on wages or salary while this suit is pending.
  
• 3.14   Terminating or in any manner affecting the service of water, electricity gas, telephone, cable television, or other contractual services, such as security pest control, landscaping, or yard maintenance at the other party’s residence or in any manner attempting to withdraw any deposits for service in connection with such services.

4.  PERSONAL AND BUSINESS RECORDS IN DIVORCE CASE

If this is a divorce both parties to the marriage are ORDERED to refrain from doing the following acts:

• 4.1   Concealing or destroying any family records, property records, financial records, business records or any records of income, debts, or other obligations.
  
• 4.2   Falsifying any writing or record relating to the property of either party.
  
• 4.3   “Records” include e-mail or other digital or electronic data, whether stored on a computer hard drive, diskette or other electronic storage device.

5.  INSURANCE IN DIVORCE CASE

If this is a divorce case, both parties to the marriage are ORDERED to refrain from doing the following acts:

• 5.1   Withdrawing or borrowing in any manner all or any part of the cash surrender value of life insurance policies on the life of either party, except as specifically authorized by this Order.
  
• 5.2   Changing or in any manner altering the beneficiary designation on any life insurance on the life of either party or the parties’ children.
  
• 5.3   Canceling, altering, or in any manner affecting any casualty automobile, or health insurance policies insuring the parties’ property of persons including the parties’ minor children.

6.  SPECIFIC AUTHORIZATIONS IN DIVORCE CASE

If this is a divorce case, both parties to the marriage are specifically authorized to do the following:

• 6.1   To engage in acts reasonable and necessary to the conduct of that party’s usual business and occupation.
  
• 6.2   To make expenditures and incur indebtedness for reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses in connection with this suit.
  
• 6.3   To make expenditures and incur indebtedness for reasonable and necessary living expenses for food, clothing, shelter, transportation and medical care.
  
• 6.4   To make withdrawals from accounts in financial institutions only for the purposes authorized by this Order.

7.  SERVICE AND APPLICATION OF THIS ORDER

• 7.1   The Petitioner shall attach a copy of this Order to the original petition and to each copy of the petition. At the time the petition is filed, if the Petitioner has failed to attach a copy of this Order to the petition and any copy of the petition, the Clerk shall ensure that a copy of this Order is attached to the petition and every copy of the petition presented.
  
• 7.2   This Order is effective upon the filing of the original petition and shall remain in full force and effect as a temporary restraining Order for fourteen days after the date of the filing of the original petition. If no party contests this Order by presenting evidence at a hearing on or before fourteen days after the date of the filing of the original petition, this Order shall continue in full force and effect as a temporary injunction until further Order of the court. This entire Order will terminate and will no longer be effective once the court signs a final Order.

8.  EFFECT OF OTHER COURT ORDERS

If any part of this Order is different from any part of a protective Order that has already been entered or is later entered, the protective Order provisions prevail. Any part of this Order not changed by some later Order remains in full force and effect until the court signs a final decree.

9.  PARTIES ENCOURAGED TO MEDIATE

The parties are encouraged to settle their disputes amicably without court intervention. The parties are encouraged to use alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation, to resolve the conflicts that may arise in this lawsuit.

THIS DALLAS COUNTY STANDING ORDER REGARDING CHILDREN, PROPERTY AND CONDUCT OF THE PARTIES SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE ON August 1, 2005.