Five months into their divorce proceedings, Kyle Newman filed for primary custody of his and Jaime King’s two kids — and the actress has responded.
“The boys have experienced a great deal of trauma in the last seven months,” the model, 41, wrote of James, 7, and Theo, 5, in court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, November 11, adding that her estranged husband, 44, has interfered with her ability to FaceTime her kids.
The Nebraska native also denied the filmmaker’s allegations that she has a “drug problem” and accused him of sabotaging her career. “In February of 2020, [Newman] attempted to wreak havoc with my professional life,” King wrote. “[He] called at least one of the executives on Black Summer after midnight demanding information about me. [He] had a third party call various people who worked on the show demanding that some action be taken before I ‘killed myself’ with drugs or alcohol. No one on set believed that I had an issue, because I did not (and do not.) In fact, I was on set on time every day, and always professional.”
The Hart of Dixie alum’s claims came after news broke that Newman had filed for primary custody of their two kids, alleging that his estranged wife has “largely been an absent parent in the minor children’s lives, either away at work in Canada or otherwise choosing to be away from them for weeks and month at a time during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The New Jersey native added that he was the “primary caregiver” of their children. Newman asked for joint legal custody but primary physical custody “with visitation to Jaime of alternating weekends and one evening per week.”
The actress filed for divorce from the Hero’s Feast author in May, also obtaining a temporary restraining order — and things have gotten “ugly and messy” between them, a source exclusively told Us earlier this month.
“They’ve been trying to do the best they can for the sake of their kids,” the insider said. “Jaime can be very impulsive at times and both of them have a temper, so it’s just a recipe for disaster. There’s still a lot of bad blood and negative feelings toward one another on both sides.”
In court documents filed in May, Newman accused King of being a “chronic drug addict and alcoholic” and accused her of having an affair, which she denied.
The exes have also both accused each other of both withdrawing money from their joint bank accounts, and King opened up about the director’s alleged aggressive and manipulative behavior in court documents previously obtained by Us.
“While outwardly I am a strong, working actress and producer, behind closed doors I was beaten down,” the Mistletoe Promise star said. “I have suffered the most confusing trauma-filled experiences. He has systematically made me feel inadequate, insecure, unsafe and traumatized.”
Newman was “deeply saddened” by the allegations, his rep told Us at the time. “As Kyle continues to solo parent, as he has done throughout this pandemic, he remains entirely focused on putting the children’s interests and stability first. Kyle wants nothing but the best for his whole family and hopes that Jaime can find the peace and help she needs.”
With reporting by Marjorie Hernandez
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