Jesse Williams' Ex Demands Legal Custody of Kids Be Restored | In Touch Weekly
’ ex-wife, , was back in court days after the Grey’s Anatomy star accused her of violating a court order, and accused the court of a “serious infringement on her parental rights” after being stripped of legal custody, In Touch can exclusively report.
On May 12, Aryn filed a declaration, obtained by In Touch, where she slammed Jesse, 43, and the judge presiding over their bitter divorce battle.
As In Touch first reported, back in March, a Los Angeles judge awarded Jesse sole legal custody of their kids when it comes to their medical decisions.
Earlier this month, Jesse filed an emergency motion accusing Aryn of refusing to follow the court order.
He claimed she was interfering with a healthcare treatment for one of their kids.
He said she “aggressively” told the child’s doctor that she did not consent to the treatment and would sue if he touched their kid.
Jesse Williams and Aryn Drake-Lee.
Jesse wrote, “I will be unable to obtain healthcare for the children … unless this Court makes Ex Parte orders preventing Aryn from interfering with the children’s healthcare.”
He wrote, “The doctor was clearly shocked. I apologized to him, and he said he was not comfortable, and he asked us to leave. As I took the children to the car, they asked ‘What is wrong with Mom? Did we get kicked out?’”
On May 6, the judge ordered Aryn not to interfere with their kid’s procedure.
Now, in her newly filed declaration, Aryn claimed the decision to award Jesse sole legal custody was made without “any evidentiary hearings.”
“I assert that no facts, evidence, or substantiated findings of harm, danger or unfitness were presented to justify such a serious infringement on my parental rights. This decision was based solely on hearsay and lacks the procedural due process guaranteed under California law and the U.S. Constitution.”
Aryn also claimed her children were “held as protected property within an irrevocable, non-statutory private trust for which they are the sole beneficiaries.”
She makes an argument that because the kids are protected property under the trust, that the court had no authority to make decisions regarding their kids.
“The minor children are named and encompassed within this trust as property protected by equitable title, and any state action that seeks to assert authority over their mental, physical or emotional health without due process or threat of immediate irreparable harm constitutes a breach of trust.”
Jesse Williams and Aryn Drake-Lee.
She demanded the court reconsider the order awarding Jesse sole legal custody and to restore her legal custody rights. She also asked that the court stop making orders regarding the children.
As In Touch first reported, late last year, Jesse filed court documents asking for the custody arrangement to be modified to provide him more time with his two kids with Aryn.
The actor asked for a schedule that would provide 50/50 custody. Jesse and Aryn were married from 2012 until their divorce was finalized in 2020.
Per their settlement, they agreed to share joint legal and physical custody. Jesse was originally ordered to pay $40,000 per month in child support but it was lowered in 2022 after he claimed his income had dropped since the initial order. The support was slashed down to $6,413.
In his motion to modify custody, Jesse told the court, “The children and I are crazy about each other, and we have a deeply loving active and closely bonded relationship. There is absolutely no reason why Aryn should have more custodial time with the children than me.”
“They almost always ask me how many days they will be with me week to week and if they can ‘just stay longer.’ I moved to a home only 15 minutes from Aryn to make transitions as easy as possible but even with proximity, the number of transitions is unnecessarily challenging for our children and causes unnecessary interactions between me and Aryn,” Jesse added.
Aryn did not oppose Jesse having more time with the kids but did not want them to be cared for by third parties. She wanted to have custody if Jesse was out of town.
In addition, she accused her ex-husband and his legal team of bullying her throughout the divorce. She said Jesse often made “threats to take” her to court if she doesn’t comply with his demands.
Aryn added, “The majority of [Jesse’s] requests are not in the best interests of our children. They orient around serving [Jesse’s] desires at the expense of our children’s mental, psychological, emotional and physical health. He is asking that the three of us be on call to accommodate his inconsistencies at all times.”
The case is ongoing.