Child custody and visitation are frequent issues in Michigan divorces as well as throughout the country. Such issues are not immune to the rich and famous, however, as it is demonstrated in the ongoing battle with recording artist Usher and his ex-wife.
Usher, who filed for divorce from his estranged wife in June of 2009, continues to assert that she is trying to keep him from seeing the couple’s two sons, now 4 and 3 years old respectively. The wife, on the other hand, claims that she is not trying to keep the popular singer from exercising his visitation rights, but that he is exaggerating the amount of animosity to provide fuel for his side in their ongoing battle.
The wife stated that she is glad that the joint custody arrangement between her and Usher is in place and that she appreciates the assistance in raising the children. She also has children from a previous relationship. She denied that she entered into the marriage for financial reasons, asserting that she independently has enough money to support herself.
The wife was pregnant with Usher’s first son when the couple decided to get married in 2007. By the time the divorce papers were filed, the couple had reportedly already been living in separate homes for approximately a year, and the singer alleged that the wife had employed private investigators to spy on his personal activities.
When children are present in a marriage in the process of unraveling, it is vital to move quickly to set up a fair and legal custody and visitation schedule. Good communication between the estranged spouses is essential, so that if one parent is in violation of visitation rights, it can be quickly determined what went wrong, and what needs to be done to reestablish a viable routine.
Source: E! Online, “Usher’s Ex-Wife Talks Marriage, Custody Battle: ‘Why Would I Try to Keep His Children Away From Him?’” Natalie Finn, May 31, 2012