Paula Patton and her ex-husband, singer Robin Thicke, are fighting over custody of their son.
The 41-year-old actress was in a Los Angeles court on Thursday to request an emergency hearing to ask a judge to restrict Robin’s access to their 6-year-old son, Julian. She is requesting that Robin only have monitored daytime visits, however, the judge denied her request for an emergency hearing.
Paula alleges that Robin has been physically abusive toward their son. “Over the past year, I have become concerned about [Robin]’s drinking and drug use, as well as the forms of punishment he is using to discipline Julian,” Paula wrote in her declaration. “My concerns culminated on January 4, 2017, when Julian’s school called Department of Child Family Services (DCFS) to report what they believed to be credible allegations of abuse from Julian against [Robin].”
Paula goes on to allege that Robin has been spanking Julian excessively. “We asked him to show us how hard, and I asked him to hit me on my back,” Patton claims, saying she responded with an “ow.” She adds, “Julian said it was worse than that.”
In his declaration, Robin says, “It is my belief that Paula holds residual anger toward me because I and my family would not permit her or her family to attend the funeral of my father on December 20, 2016.”
Alan Thicke died suddenly on Dec. 13 at the age of 69. Robin says in the docs that Paula “did not have a positive relationship with my father.”
Robin also notes that he is complying with the DCFS investigation and is meeting with a social worker on Thursday with his son. “I understand that the social worker has already met with Julian, Paula, and employees from Julian’s school, and that DCFS has not sought to remove Julian from my care, placed any restrictions on my custody, nor instructed Paula to withhold Julian from me. I have certainly not heard from anyone in this regard at any time,” he says.
Ultimately, the court found “there is insufficient showing of great or irreparable harm, immediate danger, or any other statutory basis” to grant Paula’s emergency request today.
Paula and Robin married in 2005 after dating since they were teenagers. They welcomed son Julian in April 2010, but announced their split in February 2014 after almost nine years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in March 2015.
