Sia and her estranged husband Dan Bernard are making shocking claims in a bitter custody battle over their child.
In court documents obtained by TMZ on Tuesday, Bernard requested sole custody of their 1-year-old son, Somersault “Sumi,” claiming that Thea is a “serious and imminent danger” to the toddler.
Bernard, a medical oncologist, argued in court: “Thea is an unfit and unreliable parent who suffers from substance abuse and addiction, making her unable to provide safe and stable care for Sumi.”
“I am the only safe and reliable parent for our son. I am a doctor, young and healthy, with no criminal history or drug or alcohol addiction issues.”
Bernard claimed the Australian pop star, 49, deliberately concealed the fact that she was hospitalized for two weeks in Los Angeles last month after testing positive for barbiturates and benzodiazepines, without a valid medical explanation.
He wants his estranged wife ordered to undergo random and regular drug testing. They are also requesting that meetings with Sumi be limited to three times a week for two hours under the supervision of an expert.
Thea admitted to struggling with substance abuse 15 years ago, but denied the allegations in her response and claimed to have been clean and sober for more than six months.
“Dan’s attempt to weaponize my past sobriety journey… has no legitimate purpose and is solely aimed at distorting the facts and undermining my credibility,” she said in court.
She went on to claim that she had repeatedly consented to regular drug testing of her parents, and that it was Mr. Bernard who refused to do so.
The singer, who has had full custody of Sumi since she filed for divorce in March after two years of marriage, insisted there was no urgent reason to give Bernard full custody.
In fact, she claimed that police had already agreed in August to very limited professionally supervised visits, as she was allegedly being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Department of Children and Family Services for allegedly finding “illegal child pornography” on her computer hard drive.
Shea told the court that after receiving the report of the investigation, she requested a change to Bernard’s visitation rights.
According to a written statement filed by Thea in the case, the results of the investigation were inconclusive and the case was therefore closed. However, the Grammy winner said he still worries about Sumi spending time with her father unsupervised.
Bernard denies any involvement in child pornography and claims Thea “planted evidence” to limit his parenting time with their children.
If you or a loved one is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call SAMHSA’s national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
