Rumer Willis and Derek Richard Thomas‘ custody battle has reached a major turning point. According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Willis has been awarded primary physical custody of the former couple’s daughter, Louetta, who was born in April 2023.
The ruling comes after months of increasingly tense legal filings between the exes, who split in 2024 after roughly two years together.
While Willis will have primary physical custody, the pair will continue sharing joint legal custody of their daughter. The court also ordered both parents to undergo a custody evaluation as the case continues.
© GettyThomas will begin seeing Louetta every other weekend starting June 20. Initially, those visits will be monitored by one of Willis’ nannies before transitioning to unmonitored overnight visits in August.
© GettyThe former couple has also been ordered to attend co-parenting counseling and communicate through a co-parenting app.
Thomas’ attorney, Mike Kretzmer, said his client was pleased with the court’s interim decision. “Judge White was properly focused on the issues at hand and carefully weighed the evidence presented,” he said in a statement to PEOPLE. Kretzmer added that the ruling gives Thomas a meaningful opportunity to continue rebuilding and strengthening his relationship with his daughter.
© GettyThe decision follows months of explosive accusations from both sides.
In May, the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis filed court documents accusing Thomas of what she described as a “persistent pattern” of emotional abuse that she alleged began before their breakup. According to the filing, she claimed some of the alleged behavior occurred in front of Louetta and left their daughter “traumatized.”
Willis also argued against overnight visits before a formal custody evaluation could be completed and raised concerns about Thomas’ fiancée, Lizzie Loch, being present during custodial visits because of his history of fighting in relationships in front of Louetta.
Thomas strongly denied the allegations. In his own court filing, he claimed Willis’ objections were fueled by frustration over Louetta’s relationship with Loch.
He described his relationship with Willis as unhealthy but rejected accusations that he had engaged in domestic violence, emotional abuse, or coercive behavior. “The decision to end the relationship between myself and Rumer was a mutual decision made in our mutual best interests,” he stated.
The former couple welcomed Louetta Isley Thomas Willis in April 2023 after announcing they were expecting their first child together just months earlier.
Read the full article here
