Celebs who lost custody battles for their children

Actress Kelly Rutherford's already long and bitter custody battle over her two children reached a new low after a family court's 2012 decision that allowed her two children to stay with their father Daniel Giersch in Monaco. According to People, the California judge decided on this setup because Giersch was unable to return to United States and Rutherford had the flexibility and resources to travel between countries.

Three years later, while Rutherford had her children with her for summer vacation in the United States, she made a very bold and very risky decision. She decided not to return her kids to their father in Monaco based on her claim that "in May [of that year], a judge in California gave [her] sole custody." However, People reported that courts in both California and New York determined they didn't have jurisdiction in the case. In a statement (per People), Rutherford said that "the court proceedings have been confusing." She determined that "no state in this country is currently protecting my children," adding, "It also means that no state in this country currently requires me to send the children away." 

The decision backfired. In August of 2015, Rutherford was forced to return the children and, later that year, a judge ruled that Rutherford should lose custody because there was a "strong risk of the children's abduction and retention in the United States."

After a 2007 custody battle between Sharon Stone and her ex-husband Phil Bronstein, the courts ordered that the two share "joint legal and physical custody" of their adopted son Roan, adding that the child attend school in San Francisco near his father (per The Daily Mail). Stone accepted this but got to work on an appeal to modify the order. Her lawyer, Marty Singer, told Entertainment Tonight (via People) that the Basic Instinct star "felt it would be better to have her child in Los Angeles," so he could be closer to his two younger siblings. In 2008, Stone took her shot, attempting to have the courts change the arrangement, but she was unable to "meet a burden to move him out of San Francisco during the school year," according to Singer, who also insisted that Stone and Bronstein still shared custody of Roan following the ruling. 

However, according to court documents, it appeared that the language of the ensuing court order challenged Stone's previous joint custody agreement. "Court finds that (Bronstein) can provide a more structured continuity, stable, secure, and consistent home that child, Roan, needs. (Bronstein) shall have permanent sole physical custody of child," read the court minutes. Even Stone herself admitted to ET in 2015 that she "lost custody" of "a child [she] was raising from far away" during a tumultuous time of personal struggle following her divorce from Bronstein. 

The ugly custody battle between Woody Allen and Mia Farrow concluded in 1993 with Mia retaining custody of the couple's three children. According to the Chicago Tribune, the judge's verdict included a harsh reproach of Woody, calling the director "self-absorbed, untrustworthy and insensitive." Woody's visitation rights to his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, were also restricted, a response to the sexual abuse allegations made by Dylan the summer earlier.

Despite a team of experts stating that Woody had not abused the child, the judge presiding over the case determined the evidence was "inconclusive," adding that "a further review of visitation will be considered only after we are able to evaluate the progress of Dylan's therapy," according to The New York Times. Woody's visitation rights for his other two children were were also altered. He was granted three supervised weekly visits with his biological son, Satchel (who now goes by Ronan Farrow), however the judge "said he would accede to (Woody's older, adopted son Moses') wishes that he not be forced to see his father."

Woody vowed to appeal the decision (which he did, but lost two years later), and said in a statement that he was "thrilled" to receive limited visitation with Dylan, since she'd "been withheld from [him]" for almost a year at the time. Mia further attempted to have Woody's legal adoption of Dylan and Moses overturned, but she was ultimately unsuccessful. 

Courtney Love's custody battles for the daughter she shared with the late Kurt Cobain, Frances Bean, raged on for years. In 2003, Cobain's mother, Wendy O'Connor, was given temporary custody of Frances Bean after a scary and potentially deadly evening for Love. According to the Independent, Love was first arrested for smashing windows at a friend's house. Shortly after her release from jail that same night, emergency responders found Love suffering from the effects of a drug overdose. CNN additionally reported that Love also "made a suicide threat." It took more than a year for Love to regain custody of her daughter. 

After an alleged "period of unstable conduct by Courtney Love," the rocker once again lost custody of Frances Bean in 2009, according to TMZ. The courts awarded guardianship of a then-17-year-old Frances Bean to O'Connor and Cobain's sister, Kimberly Dawn Cobain. The tab additionally reported that the judge issued a temporary restraining order that prohibited Love from contacting Frances Bean as well, possibly in relation to a report of domestic abuse.

At the time, Love took to Facebook to voice his displeasure with her family. "Welcome to the hidden, secret, ugly, white-trash, money grubbing side of the family," she posted (via People). "Please don't judge the Bean by it. She's a great person, they're just gross." 

A judge granted David Otunga, professional wrestler and ex-fiancé of singer Jennifer Hudson, temporary custody of their son, while Hudson completed filming The Voice UK in London in late 2017. The temporary order came amid the exes' prolonged custody battle over primary care of David Jr.  

While this decision wasn't exactly surprising, given that Otunga already cared for the child much of the time because of Hudson's busy schedule, it was up in the air because of an order of protection Hudson filed against Otunga after he allegedly displayed "aggressive, threatening and harassing behavior toward" Hudson, according to TMZ reported.

Yet, Otunga was later never charged with domestic violence following a police investigation, and subsequently accused Hudson of attempting to defame him in an effort to improve her case in the ongoing custody struggle. Hudson continues her attempt to win back custody in the lengthy case. Otunga, fighting from the other side of the courtroom, has now called Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson, to answer questions for the court. While no permanent decisions have been made, as of this writing, Hudson remains without primary custody of her son until the court proceedings are complete.