Celebrities often make headlines for reasons they’d rather not discuss. Because there is typically a lot of money involved, they are frequently involved in contentious divorce and child custody cases. Here are a few of the more notable celebrity child custody cases in recent memory.
• Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. The ex-couple had a tepid relationship at best after they divorced. A lot of the conflict surrounded their daughter. Back in 2007, a voicemail was leaked in which Baldwin could be heard calling his daughter a “rude little pig.” He temporarily lost visitation rights after the incident.
• Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels. They recently settled their child support case, but only after some heated exchanges. Etheridge apparently filed legal documents earlier this year suggesting that Michaels burned one of their children with a cigarette, albeit accidentally. She also claimed Michaels was against joint custody and didn’t give her enough time with the kids. They later reached an agreement that apparently involved joint custody.
• Woody Allen and Mia Farrow. Allen was denied custody of the three children the couple shared. A judge also called him a “self-absorbed, untrustworthy and insensitive father.” His romantic relationship (and later, marriage) with Farrow’s adopted daughter probably didn’t help matters.
• Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook. The 58-year-old supermodel and her ex-husband still have not resolved all of their legal issues. Late last year, she apparently filed a motion asking that he be fined for “inflammatory communications.” She’s also requested $32,000 in child support payments for school and camp fees. In court documents he referred to her as a “narcissistic egomaniac.”
Source: Huffington Post, “Celebrity custody battles: 10 of the messiest,” May 23, 2012