From August
2001 Update
Chapter 1 Property
§101 Division
§102 Valuation
§102.1 Relationship to Division
§102.2 Sources of Evidence
§102.3 Range of Values
§102.4 Owner’s Opinion
§102.4.1 Market Value
§102.4.2 Intrinsic Value
§102.5 Expert Opinion
§102.5.1 Qualifications and Underlying Principles
§102.5.2 Date of Valuation
§102.5.3 Personal Goodwill
§102.5.4 Expert Testimony Not Binding
§102.6 New Trials
§102.6.1 Judicial Notice of Prior Testimony
§102.6.2 Property Revaluations
§103 Characterization
§103.1 Community Presumption
§103.1A Requests for Admissions
§103.1B Deed Recitals
§103.1C Personal Injury Recovery
§103.2 Tracing
§103.2.1 Documentary Evidence
§103.2.1A Parties’ Testimony
§103.2.1B Expert Testimony
§103.2.2 Tracing Schedules
§103.2.3 Community-Out-First Presumption
§103.2.4 Community Credit v. Separate Credit
§103.2.5 Reserved
§103.2.6 Summaries
§103.3 Stipulations
§104 Equitable Interest/Reimbursement
§104.1 Equitable Interest / Reimbursement
§104.2 Enhancement in Value
§104.3 Offsetting Benefits
§104.3.1 Degree of Certainty of Proof
§104.4 Inventories
§104.5 Pleadings
§105 Exam Outlines
Chapter 2 Conservatorship
§201 Rules of Evidence
§202 Children’s Statements and Testimony
§202.1 Written Choice of Managing Conservator
§202.1.1 Subject to Court’s Approval
§202.1.2 Filing
§202.1.3 Judge v. Jury
§202.1.4 Hearsay
§202.1.5 Cross Examination
§202.1.6 Oral Testimony
§202.2 Competency to Testify
§202.2.1 Test to Determine Competency
§202.2.2 Court’s Discretion
§202.2.3 Preservation of Error
§202.2.4 Leading Questions
§202.3 In-Chambers Interview
§202.3.1 Generally
§202.3.2 Age of Child
§202.3.3 Record
§202.4 Excited Utterances (Res Gestae)
§202.4.1 Generally
§202.4.2 Independent Proof
§202.4.3 Time Lapse
§202.5 Statements of Mental, Emotional, and Physical Conditions
§202.6 Out-of-Court Statements
§203 Expert Witnesses
§203.1 Qualifications
§203.1.1 Elements of Proof
§203.1.2 Burden of Proof
§203.1.3 Judge’s Discretion
§203.1.4 Questions of Law and Fact
§203.2 Reliability of Underlying Principles
§203.2.1 Daubert/Robinson Factors
§203.2.2 Applicability
§203.2.3 Preservation of Error
§203.3 Bases of Opinion
§203.4 Disclosure of Underlying Facts or Data
§203.4.1 Generally
§203.4.2 Recounting Hearsay
§203.4.3 Child’s Statements of Preference
§203.4.4 Extent of Hearsay Details Disclosable
§203.4.5 Probative Value v. Prejudicial Impact
§203.4.6 Limiting Instructions
§203.4.7 Privilege Exception
§203.5 Opinion as to Truthfulness or Untruthfulness
§203.6 Psychiatrists & Psychologists
§204 Social Workers
§204.1 Witness Qualifications and Reliability of Underlying Principles
§204.2 Expert Opinion
§204.3 Lay Testimony
§204.4 Social Study Reports
§204.4.1 Authorization and Authors
§204.4.2 Standards
§204.4.3 Hearsay and Exceptions
§204.4.4 Right of Cross Examination
§204.4.5 Admission into Evidence
§204.4.6 Jury v. Nonjury Trials
§204.4.7 Harmless Error
§204.4.8 Preservation of Error
§205 Physicians’ Reports
§205.1 Business Records Exception
§205.2 Privilege Exception
§205.3 Lay Witness Testimony
§206 Parties’ Conversations
§206.1 In-Person Conversations
§206.2 Telephone Conversations
§206.2.1 Predicate for Admission
§206.2.2 Audibility
§206.2.3 Transcriptions
§207 Interspousal Wiretaps
§207.1 Generally
§207.2 Admissibility of Illegally Obtained Tapes
§207.3 Derivative Evidence
§207.4 Inadmissibility of Legally Obtained Tapes
§207.5 Preservation of Error
§207.6 Harmless Error
§208 Parents’ Sexual Conduct
§208.1 Nonmarital Sexual Relationships
§208.2 Prejudicial v. Probative Value
§209 Drugs
§210 Photographs and Videotapes
§211 Trash and Garbage
§212 Religion
§213 Character of Children of Prior Marriages
§214 Parental Presumption
§215 Exam Outlines
Chapter 3 Child Support
§301 Guidelines and Other Factors
§302 Net Resources
§303 Needs of the Child
§304 Financial Information
§304.1 Authentication
§304.2 Reserved
§304.3 Wage and Salary Presumption
§304.4 Burden of Proof
§304.5 Earning Potential
§304.6 Parties’ Testimony
§304.7 Charts and Summaries
§305 Exam Outlines
Chapter 4 Modification
§401 Evidentiary Time Frame
§402 Managing Conservatorship
§402.1 Change of Circumstances
§402.1.1 Sole to Sole
§402.1.2 Sole to Joint
§402.1.3 Joint
§402.1.4 Joint to Sole
§402.2 Child’s Written Choice
§402.3 Remarriage
§403 Possession
§404 Child Support
§404.1 Burden of Proof
§404.2 Comparison of Circumstances
§404.3 Children’s Expenses
§404.4 Statutory Guidelines
§404.5 Voluntary Payment above Amount Ordered
§404.6 Lifestyles
§404.7 New Spouse’s Income
§405 Transfer of Venue
§406 Exam Outlines
Chapter 5 Enforcement
§501 Child Support
§501.1A Judicial Notice
§501.1 Obligee’s Testimony
§501.2 Child Support Payment Records
§501.3 Inability to Pay
§501.3.1 Elements of Proof
§501.3.2 Burden of Proof
§501.4 Counterclaim or Offset
§501.5 Privilege Against Self-Incrimination
§502 Possession
§503 Transfer of Venue
§504 Exam Outlines
Chapter 6 Parentage
§601 Presumptions
§602 Denial of Paternity
§603 Parentage Tests
§603.1 Appointment of Experts
§603.2 Pretrial Conference
§603.2.1 Testimony
§603.2.2 Rules of Evidence
§603.2.3 Record
§603.2.4 Proof
§603.3 Trial
§603.3.1 Expert Testimony
§603.3.2 Burden of Proof
§603.3.3 Proof
§603.3.4 Expenses
§603.4 No Business Records Predicate
§603.5 Refusal to Take Test
Chapter 7 Termination of Parental Rights
§701 Grounds for Termination
§702 Endangerment
§702.1 Oral Statements
§702.1.1 Predicate for Admissibility
§702.1.2 Leading Questions
§702.2 Videotaped Testimony
§702.2.1 Motion and Order for Recording
§702.2.2 Limitations on Persons Present
§702.2.3 Questioning
§702.2.4 Positioning of Equipment Operators
§702.2.5 Predicate for Admissibility
§702.3 Remote Televised Broadcast
§702.3.1 Method of Broadcast
§702.3.2 Predicate for Admissibility
§702.4 Medical Condition Justifying Out-of-Court Testimony
§702.5 Child’s Out-of-Court Statements
§702.6 Course of Conduct
§702.7 Conduct Toward Other Children
§702.8 Conduct Toward Spouse
§702.9 Psychiatric and Psychological Testimony
§702.10 Social Workers’ Testimony
§702.11 Physician’s Testimony
§703 Failure to Support Child
§703.1 Inability to Pay
§703.2 Time Period
§704 Best Interest
§705 Standard of Review
§706 Exam Outlines
Chapter 8 Attorney’s Fees
§801 Availability
§802 Evidence Required
§803 Obligation to Pay
§804 Paralegals
§805 Exam Outlines
Chapter 9 Preserving Evidentiary Error at
Trial
§901 Policy Underpinnings
§901.1 Preservation Rationale
§901.2 Fundamental Error
§902 Motions in Limine
§902.1 Purpose
§902.2 Necessity of Objections at Trial
§902.3 Premature Objections
§902.4 Untimely Objections
§902.5 Offer of Proof
§902.6 Pretrial Conferences
§903 Preservation Prerequisites
§903.1 Timeliness
§903.1.1 Before Admission
§903.1.2 After Adverse Ruling
§903.1.3 Motion to Strike
§903.1.4 Motion to Disregard
§903.1.5 Motion for Mistrial
§903.2 Specificity
§903.2.1 Purpose of Specificity
§903.2.2 Degree of Clarity
§903.3 Rulings
§903.3.1 Explicit Rulings
§903.3.2 Implicit Rulings
§903.3.3 Refusal to Rule
§904 Offer, Admission, and Exclusion
§904.1 Offer of Proof
§904.2 Partial Admissibility
§904.3 Limited Admissibility
§904.4 Limiting Instruction
§904.5 Same or Similar Evidence
§904.6 Running Objections
§904.6.1 Basis for Allowance
§904.6.2 Different Witnesses
§904.6.3 Specificity
§904.6.4 Ruling
§904.6.5 Objections Outside Jury’s Presence
§904.6.6 Deemed Objections
§904.6.7 Stipulations
§904.7 Offering Excluded Evidence
§904.7.1 Necessity of Offer
§904.7.2 Right to Offer
§904.7.3 Purpose of Offer
§904.7.4 Timing
§905 Appeal
§905.1 Matching Grounds
§905.2 Reversible Error
Examination Outlines
§2001 Direct Exam - Divorce - Petitioner (Property - No Children)
§2002 Direct Exam - CPA - Characterization/Tracing
§2003 Direct Exam - CPA - Equitable Interest/Reimbursement/Offsets
§2004 Direct Exam - Real Estate Appraiser
§2005 Direct Exam - Business Appraiser - Good Will
§2006 Direct Exam - Divorce - Petitioner (Managing Conservatorship)
§2006A Cross Exam - Divorce - Petitioner (Managing Conservatorship)
§2007 Direct Exam - Friends/Family - Managing Conservatorship
§2008 Direct Exam - Grandparents - Managing Conservatorship
§2009 Direct Exam - Psychologist - Managing Conservatorship
§2010 Direct Exam - Social Worker - Managing Conservatorship
§2011 Cross Exam - Social Worker - Managing Conservatorship
§2012 Direct Exam - Divorce - Petitioner (Child Support)
§2013 Direct Exam - Modification of Managing Conservatorship -
Petitioner
§2014 Direct Exam - Modification of Child Support - Increase -
Petitioner
§2015 Cross Exam - Modification of Child Support - Increase -
Petitioner
§2016 Direct Exam - Modification of Child Support - Decrease -
Petitioner
§2017 Direct Exam - Transfer
§2018 Direct Exam - Contempt - Failure to Pay Child Support -
Petitioner
§2019 Cross Exam - Contempt - Failure to Pay Child Support - Respondent
§2020 Direct Exam - Contempt - Failure to Pay Child Support - Child
Support Officer
§2021 Direct Exam - Contempt - Possession - Movant
§2022 Cross Exam - Contempt - Possession - Respondent
§2023 Direct Exam - Physician - Sexual Abuse of Female Child
§2024 Direct Exam - Attorney’s Fees
§2025 Direct Exam - Termination of Parental Rights - Petitioner
§2026 Direct Exam - Temporary Hearing - Child Conservatorship -
Property
§2027 Cross Exam - Temporary Hearing - Temporary Support - Petitioner
§2028 Direct Exam - Request for Protective Order - Petitioner
§2029 Cross Exam - Protective Order - Petitioner
Appendix: Annotated Texas Rules of Evidence
Table of Cases
Index |
