While Heidi Klum and Seal may be attempting to divide custody of their four children in a non-contentious manner, other celebrity custody battles have often been acrimonious. Here's a few that you might remember:
Kevin Federline and Britney Spears: Their two sons were taken from Spears after she disobeyed a court order regarding random drug testing and driving without a valid license. Amid accusations of drug addiction and untreated mental illness, Federline obtained sole custody.
Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger: After their divorce in 2000, the pair traded accusations of unfit parenting. Their custody battle concluded somewhat in 2004 when they split custody of their daughter Ireland provided they obey a gag order that prevented them from speaking negatively about each other publicly. However, Baldwin's visitation rights were suspended in 2007 after a tape of him referring to Ireland as a "thoughtless little pig" was leaked to the press. His rights were reinstated after he issued a public apology.
Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards: Richards accused Sheen of being addicted to prescription drugs and having a fascination with underage girls, which Sheen denied. Richards filed court papers in 2007 requesting Sheen be limited to monitored visitation with their two children. In 2008 they came to a custody agreement, but the details were not shared with the public.
Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston: Houston and Brown both have long histories of drug abuse, and Brown has a criminal record. Pot met kettle when they feuded over custody of their daughter Bobbi Kristina before their divorce became final in 2007, with both parents accusing each other of being "unreliable". Houston ended up with full custody, but a few months later Brown filed papers complaining that Houston was alienating him from Bobbi Kristina.
These very public custody battles might cause you to think that in a divorce, determining the parameters of child custody agreements will always be contentious. That doesn't have to be the case. Our firm has handled many child custody cases in a non-combative, collaborative manner, especially via the process of mediation. But if you are in fact dealing with an uncooperative or overly aggressive co-parent, we are experienced in fighting for what you feel is best for you and your children.