The basic purpose of the Original Answer in the Texas divorce process is to keep from getting run over by your spouse or your spouses' attorney.  It is to see that your interests are addressed in the divorce.

In a normal divorce proceeding in Texas, one party files the Original Petition for Divorce.  That starts the sixty day waiting period ticking.  The next step is to prove that the other spouse knows about the divorce.  That can be done one of two ways.  One, your spouse sends you a copy of the Original Petition and a document called a Waiver of Citation.  The Waiver basically just says, "Yep, I know about the divorce, go ahead and do it."  The other way to prove that you've been notified of the divorce is to hire a deputy sheriff or process server to serve the papers on you.  They hand you the papers and then THEY swear that you've been notified.

Either way, the spouse who filed for the divorce can go ahead with it without dealing with you anymore.  They don't even have to notify you of the date that the case is being heard. Which is fine, if you agree with the terms that he or she have proposed.  If you DON'T agree with those terms, then you have to file a document called an Original Answer.  When you file that with the court, it serves notice on your spouse that he or she can't go ahead with the divorce without notifying you and dealing with your interests.

In many cases, the other party will choose to negotiate a settlement with you, rather than spend a huge amount of money for a contested case.  In other cases, you may have to go to court and fight for your rights.  In any case, they have deal with you, once the Answer has been filed.  You have a say in how it turns out.

Our Original Answers are professionally formatted and can be opened in either Microsoft Word or WordPerfect.  They come with complete instructions for filling them out and filing them.  They are specifically for the State of Texas, not the generic, one-size fits all 50 States garbage that you see peddled all over the web.  They are in zipped files for fast easy download. More than that, they are extremely affordable, at only $7.50.  To purchase yours, click the link on the left hand side of the page.  You'll recieve an email with your password for download shortly after we receive payment.