Be careful. The mom walks into Jackson-Hewitt (does it still exist?) and the schlub tells her she can. You get caught in the crossfire.
I pray she does something so stupid. My attorney subpoenas the bus driver’s company; end of story. I live rural, my kids are picked up daily in front of my home.
This can and does often happen. You file your taxes claiming the dependents, but you have to file by mail...can’t use efile. Have proof to support your claim and duke it out with the IRS and the other party. If you have good documentation, you should be able to take the dependents and overturn the other filing.
This is in regards to who claims the kids and is exactly correct.
The IRS has a form that is used to predetermine who will claim the kids - one signs away their rights/intent for a particular filing year. When I got divorced, it came in handy because the ex signed it (it was part of the divorce agreement) and then tried to renege. I told her that she might be able to get some court to turn a blind eye to either the divorce document OR the form with notarized signature, but I would not hesitate to spend her alimony money on a lawyer to beat her about the head and shoulders if she kept trying to devise ways to illegally screw with me. She was one of the vicious spite-mongers.
ALWAYS get necessary signatures - "amicable relationship" is usually a ruse to take your guard down...