LOS ANGELES — A judge on Thursday ordered Robin Thicke to have only monitored visits with his 6-year-old son and stay away from his ex-wife, actress Paula Patton, after she accused the singer of emotionally abusing them during an ongoing custody dispute.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Colin Leis issued the temporary restraining order after Patton also accused the singer of physically abusing her during their marriage, which ended in March 2015. She also said the "Blurred Lines'' singer has traumatized her and her son by demanding visitation and refusing to leave her mother's home last week.
Thicke's attorney Larry Ginsberg wrote in a court filing opposing the restraining order that there was no basis to issue it and called it a retaliatory move by Patton after she was denied sole custody earlier this month. Emails to Ginsberg and Thicke's publicist were not returned Thursday afternoon.
Patton's sworn declaration includes several allegations that Thicke was abusive during their marriage and pushed her to the ground and kicked her during a fight in April 2013. She also accused him of numerous infidelities during their marriage and having a substance abuse problem. Her attorneys cited a California law that Thicke's behaviour during their marriage made Patton currently feel a "reasonable apprehension of imminent serious bodily injury to herself and the child.''
Her filing states that Thicke showed up at her mother's house on January 19 while their son was being interviewed by child services workers and that the singer refused to leave. After the child services workers left, Thicke banged on the door and demanded to see his son, leaving only after Patton's mother called police, Patton wrote.
"This last incident with Robin was terrifying for me,'' Patton wrote. "It was terrifying for our son.''
Ginsberg wrote in a court filing that Thicke is seeking sole custody and accuses Patton of manipulating their son.
"It was terrifying for our son.''
The couple has been embroiled in a custody dispute for weeks, and Thicke's paperwork notes that Patton had recently sought a change in custody arrangements unsuccessfully. "She is trying to take a second bite at the apple,'' Ginsberg wrote.
Leis' order, which will remain in effect until a Feb. 24 hearing, includes a finding that Thicke has a history of domestic violence and is a risk to flee with his son. The order restricts Thicke's ability to travel outside Los Angeles County with his son.
School asked child welfare to investigate
The custody battle erupted earlier this month, after child services investigators began looking into allegations that Thicke had physically abused his son. Thicke acknowledged that he spanked his son, which his attorney noted is allowed under the law, but denied the singer was abusive. Patton's petition was supported by declarations from her son's school, who asked child welfare workers to investigate.
Thicke's attorney has said in court filings that investigators cleared the singer of any wrongdoing.
It also comes just weeks after the death of Thicke's father, "Growing Pains'' actor Alan Thicke.
Thicke, whose biggest hit was the 2013 song "Blurred Lines,'' and Patton dated for 10 years before marrying in June 2005. She filed for divorce in October 2014, and their judgment was finalized a few months later.