Many Texas parents may understand what actor Jesse Williams (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is going through. He and his wife are in the midst of a divorce, and it recently came to light that his estranged wife may not be playing nice when it comes to him seeing their children. Her actions prompted Williams to file a request with the court for a parenting plan that allows for joint physical custody of the children.
According to Williams, the children’s mother refused to let them stay at his home overnight. In addition, she limits the amount of time he gets with them during the week. He claims that she only allows him to see the children in spurts of about 2.5 hours.
She also supposedly only lets him see the children when she wants him to see them. In his court filings, Williams says that he was always active in his children’s lives and was “hands-on” when the couple was together. Williams soon-to-be former spouse claims that they are working toward a joint custody agreement, and that she only wants what is best for the children. It was also noted that Williams does not want to provide his wife with spousal support.
Regardless of the state of a Texas couple’s marriage, in the absence of abuse or some other reason why one parent would be unfit, each parent has a right of access to the children. The court standard is what is in the best interests of the children, which often includes some sort of shared or joint custody arrangement. If the other parent is denying a parent’s access to the children during the divorce proceedings, it may be possible to have the court issue temporary custody orders that allow both parents to have time with the children.
Source: eonline.com, “Jesse Williams Fights for Joint Physical Custody Amid Divorce From Aryn Drake-Lee“, Mike Vulpo, June 20, 2017