You have nothing to worry about, as far as losing custody of your daughter.
Courts look at the best interests of the child. In your case, we have a loving mother who the daughter has lived with soley for the last 11 years. And in the other corner, a father who does not pay child support or see his daughter 3+ years.
Your options -
- Call the Texas Child Support Division (assuming he is still in Texas?) or Vermont if that is the case. Here is the form to get started on getting his wages garnished in Texas. https://childsupport.oag.state.tx.us/index.htm?ENGLISH=English
- Do nothing. You have your daughter which is truly the most important thing. When she turns 18 you most definitely can sue for back support/insurance. ESPECIALLY if your daughter is off to college, as he may need to continue to pay support until she is done with school. There is no statutue of limitations on child support in Texas.
You seem to be worried about your ex suing you for custody. If you are worried about losing you daughter, don't be. The only way you could lose custody is if he proved there was abuse happening (drugs, alcohol, or sexual). Considering his past, he would not be credible.
If you are worried about the cost, then yes this could be a problem. If you can get by until she is 18 then that is the safe play. However, he may still be able to cost you money by dragging his feet, changing jobs, hiring a lawyer to drag you to court, etc. This is a problem that many parents have to face. Personally, I spent about 25K on lawyer bills just to get $192/month. Well worth it though! What I'm trying to say is there is ALWAYS a risk of incuring legal costs. Your case is a slam dunk though, and you could pursue free options such as your state's child support division.
Best of luck to you! Please don't forget to "Accept" my answer!
Regards,
Ryan
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