Q. What legal actions can I do?
A. She has complete control (assuming the kids lived with her more than they lived with you). Be sure your lawyer includes taxes in the the divorce settlement. For example, assuming the legal paperwork can't happen til next year; ask for a requirement that she amend 2017 return to Married Filing Jointly(MFJ). That means sharing the tax refund (and there will be a big refund for amending from Married Filing Separately to MFJ). If you want to claim the kids in the future, it needs to be in the divorce papers, including a requirement that she provide you IRS form 8332.
