Spice Girls Star Mel B Shut Down in Plea For Primary Custody of 11-Year-Old Daughter, Judge Rules Teen Will Stay in America
The singer was shut down in court.
Dec. 7 2023, Published 10:00 a.m. ET
Mel B's daughter will not be moving to the UK despite the Spice Girls star's emotional plea in court.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, a hearing was held this week as part of Mel and her ex-husband Stephen Belafonte's custody battle over their 11-year-old daughter Madison.
Mel B claimed she had "serious concerns" about her ex's ability to parent.
The exes were married from 2007 until their divorce was finalized in 2017. Mel had primary custody of Madison until she her work Visa expired in 2019 and she moved back to the UK.
Madison decided to live primarily with her father Stephen in Los Angeles. She takes trips to see her mom in the UK throughout the year.
The couple have been in and out of court for years.
Earlier this year, Stephen filed a motion asking for permission to move from Los Angeles to Florida with Madison.
In response, Mel opposed the move and demanded Madison move in with her.
In her motion, the singer wrote that she had "serious concerns about Stephen’s ability to care."
Mel submitted a declaration where he claimed she felt a move to the UK would be best for Madison.
The couple during happier times.
“Madison’s sisters, Angel and Phoenix, relocated with me to the U.K. where we live minutes from nearly all of our friends and family. Moving to the U.K. without Madison was devastating for the girls and me. The three girls have always had a very close relationship and enjoy spending time together. Madison would thrive socially, emotionally, and academically if she were permitted to live with me and her sisters in the U.K. during the school year,” she wrote.
“I am confident that Madison’s best interest would be served if she lived primarily in the U.K. with her sisters and me,” she said.
“I have serious concerns about Stephen’s ability to care for Madison in a manner consistent with her best interests. Stephen continuously attempts to alienate Madison from her sisters and me,” she added.
Mel even accused Stephen of "often leaving Madison in Los Angeles in the care of a revolving door of various third parties."
Mel B demanded random drug tests but the court did not sign off on the request.
“Stephen also lacks transparency with respect to Madison’s living conditions, doctors’ appointments, therapy, and schooling. He refuses to co-parent with me,” Mel wrote. “For example, he has never provided me with any information about Madison’s living situation in Los Angeles. I do not know whether Madison has her own bedroom, what her room looks like, or even where she lives as he has lied about their living situation countless times.”
Mel demanded Stephen be ordered to submit to drug tests claiming a third party witness told her about alleged bad behavior on his part.
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Stephen denied all of Mel's allegations. He accused her of making false accusations to gain an advantage in the custody case. He argued Madison should continue to live with him.
In the months before Mel asked for primary custody, Stephen accused her of acting erratic and not being present for Madison.
In a recent motion, Stephen demanded $100k to cover his legal bills fighting her "baseless" accusations. He said she failed to present the alleged witness in court that she claimed had bad things to say about him.
In addition, he claimed his ex-wife had missed 11 days of FaceTime calls with their daughter in September, another 18 days in October, and 12 days in November.
He even claimed Mel failed to visit her daughter when she came to Los Angeles for work in recent months.
At the recent hearing, Mel B's lawyer asked for additional time to track down the witness in question. The judge denied the request.
Then, the judge denied Mel B's entire motion asking for Madison to be relocated to the UK.
