Case Digest
Case Digest
In re M.S.
No. 02-25-00526-CV, 2026 WL 120064 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2026, no pet. h.) (mem. op.) (01-15-2026)
Section Report
Browse articles, case digests, columns, and spotlights from the Texas Family Law Section Report.
70 items
Spotlight
Council Spotlight: Answering the Call — A Journey to Chair of the Family Law Section
As I prepare to assume the duties and responsibilities of Chair of the Family Law Section, I am struck by how much of my professional and personal life has been devoted to the Section.
Spotlight
Judicial Spotlight: Coffee Before Conflict — The Judicial Legacy of Judge Solomon “Sol” Casseb III
There is a particular kind of tension that fills a courtroom before every family law case. In Judge Solomon “Sol” Casseb III’s courtroom, that tension rarely had a chance to settle in.
Column
A Closer Look at the Thorny Issue of Goodwill, Part 3: Personal vs. Commercial Goodwill
This quarter’s column is the third part in a series aimed at doing a deep dive into the valuation and divisibility of goodwill in the Texas divorce context — this time, a summary of the factors Texas courts use to distinguish personal from commercial goodwill.
Feature Article
“Significant Impairment” in Texas Custody Litigation: A Case Law Survey
Texas courts repeatedly confront the question of when a child’s present circumstances would significantly impair the child’s physical health or emotional development. This article surveys recent and foundational cases and extracts practical themes for practitioners.
Spotlight
Message from the Chair
The Spring 2026 Section Report is now available! The password is flsmember2025 (case sensitive). Get to know a little more about Chair-Elect Jim Mueller in the Spotlight, review the nominations slate for Council and gain some knowledge from the excellent columns, articles, and cases in this Section Report.
Remembering Diana Siegel Friedman
I come from a Southern Italian family on my mother’s side, and in our family we say that when someone passes away, that person instantly becomes una santa – a saint. It is a family joke, told with affection: no matter what someone may have been like in life, once that person is gone, everyone...
Section Report
In re Marriage of Mowafy
¶26-4-03. Post-Answer Default Decree Reversed Because Husband Did Not Receive 45-Days' Notice of Trial.
Section Report
Hines v. Hines
¶26-4-04. Husband Not Entitled to Reinstatement After DWOP Because He Did Not Establish His Decision Not to Appear at a Pretrial Conference was Reasonably Explained, Given the Clear Instructions in the Court's Scheduling Order.
Section Report
In re Medina
¶26-4-05. Court Lacked Plenary Power to Grant New Trial Five Months After Signing Decree.
Section Report
Lee v. Lundquist
¶26-4-08. Trial Court Lacked Authority to Order Husband to Wind Up Parties' LLC when LLC was Not a Party to the Divorce Proceeding, and Because Husband Failed to Trace Source of Funds in His Allegedly Separate-Property Bank Account, the Jury Erred in Finding Husband's Separate Funds Benefited the Parties' Community Estate.
Section Report
In re S.W.R.
¶26-4-80. Father's Modification Dismissed Because He Did Not Respond to Mother's MSJ Asserting No Evidence of a Material and Substantial Change.