Custody Bombshell: Robin Thicke's Ex Drags Him To Court For Spanking Their Son 'Hard'

"I have become concerned about Respondents drinking and drug use, as well as the forms of punishment he is using to discipline Julian," Patton wrote in her documents.

She claimed that Julian told her and her mother that when his father spanked him it was "really hard." She continued that she asked him to hit her to demonstrate and he did but told her it was "worse than that." Patton also wrote that Julian's behavior changed when she asked him to tell her about the spankings. "He became very angry and tense and yelled at me that if I told, he would never tell me anything about Respondent again."

A teacher at Julian's school also submitted a declaration, explaining their concern about Thicke's punishment.

"Dad punches him so hard, but never where someone can see. If they are in a public place, like the beach, dad will take him to a bathroom," the teacher claimed.

The principal at Julian's school also expressed their concern for "allegations Julian had made about possible physical abuse," and wrote that the spankings went "beyond normal corporal punishments." The principal stated they had been "trained as to what to look for with respect to physical abuse," and had observed that Julian "was not making up statements or exaggerating about the punishment he was receiving from his father."

The family nanny, who claimed to have worked with Julian for six years, said the child was anxious and nervous around his father, citing an example of spilling chocolate milk on the sofa and worrying about telling his father. The nanny also stated she had seen Thicke "smoking marijuana" when Julian was in the home.

Patton claimed in her documents that she became concerned about Julian in November 2016 and requested that he be "at no time shall the minor child be left alone with the Respondent without a professional monitor present."

Thicke's attorney countered Patton's request, asking the judge to deny the request because DCFS had interviewed his child and had no intervened or recommended a custody change yet.

Thicke defended his physical punishment, claiming in documents: "On a very rare occasion and only as a last resort, I will use light spanking, but it is consistent with the law -- open hand on the butt. This is the type of discipline to which Paula and I agreed during our marriage."