Can a court issue a clarifying order when the original divorce decree has problems or impossible deadlines?

Question

Accepted Answer

This question has been addressed in 1 Texas court opinion(s), including Nadar v. Nadar. When drafting divorce decrees, always use relative deadlines (e.g., "30 days after the decree is signed") rather than fixed calendar dates to account for administrative delays. If a decree becomes unenforceable due to "impossible" dates, a petition for clarification—not a motion for substantive modification—is the correct legal vehicle to reset performance windows.

Clarifying Orders

Can a court issue a clarifying order when the original divorce decree has problems or impossible deadlines?