A woman who has been on reality TV shows had her marriage fall apart back in 2012, and now she is fighting with her estranged husband over who will get custody of their child. She recently testified in the case and had her lawyer give opening statements about why the man should not be allowed to have custody.
Among other things, the lawyer claimed that the man was set on revenge, and that he was so dedicated to that end that he let it go before his daughter and her best interests. He said that the man even tried to control what the woman did by using her daughter.
On top of that, the lawyer made claims that the man violated the woman’s privacy by hacking into her email messages and reading messages that were supposed to remain private. Even that was not as dire as the accusations that he hired people to follow her around, however.
The daughter is 4 years old, and her mother wants to get complete custody. She also wants to be allowed to make all of the decisions for the girl in the future. Her husband is not seeking sole custody, but would rather have joint custody along with his wife.
On the other side of things, the man’s lawyer claimed that the woman was also set on revenge. He said that she took many of the girl’s items from the apartment and even stole the pots and pans. He also said that she had used the daughter as little more than a prop as she tried to advance her own career.
Those in Annapolis, Maryland, may want to keep an eye on this high-profile case so that they can see examples of what rights both parents have after they split. When custody disputesbecome public court battles, others who are considering similar action can learn much about how the courts view their parental rights.
Source: New York Post, “Bethenny Frankel testifies in bitter custody trial” Julia Marsh, May. 28, 2014
