Custody battles are never easy. When celebrities are involved things can get even messier, as details often become the subject of public scrutiny. The latest artist to find themselves in a public custody fight is singer Kehlani.
According to USA Today, the R&B star’s ex, Javaughn Young-White, filed for custody of their five-year-old daughter Adeya. He filed the petition on July 24 in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging that Kelani is in a “cult.”
“I am not here to disparage (Kehlani),” Young-White said in the court documents. “However, the environment that she has created for herself is not the type of environment that a child should be living [in] and therefore, I bring myself to the mercy and wisdom of the court to save my daughter before it is too late.”
Per Entertainment Weekly, in the filing, Young-White alleges that the “After Hours” singer “has been involved in this cult for the past few years and it appears that this cult controls her actions and her behavior, including when it comes to the upbringing of our daughter.”
“For example, the cult leader, who goes by the name of Neto, convinced Respondent that he had a vision that I was a danger to our daughter and would kill her, and thereafter banned Respondent from allowing me to see Adeya,” the court documents state. “Based on this ‘vision’ by her cult leader, Respondent prevented me from seeing our daughter for months.”
Young-White states that when Kehlani would previously go on tour, he would watch Adeya. But since the so-called “vision,” Adeya is now watched by other members of the alleged cult. He also claims Neto has “numerous accusations of committing sexual assault against women and young girls.”
Adeya was born at home, not in a hospital, so Young-White’s name is not on the birth certificate, which means he must prove paternity first.
“I am requesting that the Court establishes paternity with me being her father in order for me to be able to exercise all my rights that come with being her father,” he states in the filing.
He is asking for full custody, child support and for Adeya’s name to be changed.