Elon Musk Files for Custody Following Grimes' Alleged Departure from Texas with Kids

In a dramatic turn of events, Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and founder of Space X, has initiated a child custody lawsuit against his ex-partner, the Canadian singer Grimes. The shocking revelation, as per Radar Online, is detailed in an extensive eight-page declaration filed by Musk in the Travis County Family Court. The court documents unveil the unraveling of Musk's relationship with Grimes, the mother of their three children (aged three years to 3 months). The deterioration apparently occurred in early 2023, approximately a year after Musk relocated the majority of his business empire to Austin, Texas. Musk, a devoted father, took legal action in Texas, seeking custody of his three children.

Musk dropped a bombshell, hinting that Grimes, also known as Claire Boucher, might be attempting to shift the custody dispute to California based on the advice of her friends, as per Business Insider. Musk wrote in his declaration on November 28, 2023, stating, "At various times within the past year, when there was a conflict in our relationship, [Grimes] told me that her friends were warning her that California would be a better court jurisdiction for her than Texas if she ever needed to litigate."

The discord between Musk and Grimes apparently escalated after their return from a trip to Tokyo, Japan. Musk said in court filings, "We returned together to Austin on August 20, 2023. [Redacted] stayed with us at the [Redated] house for several days then flew back to California on a commercial flight on August 23, 2023. [The two younger children] have not been back in Texas since July 24, 2023. [The oldest child] remains in Texas with me."

Later, upon realizing that Grimes was allegedly not planning to return to Texas with the children, Musk took swift action. "When I realized that [Grimes] was not returning to Texas with the younger children, I hired counsel and filed the Texas parentage action on September 7, 2023," Musk stated.

The crux of the legal battle revolves around the jurisdiction over the children's lives. Musk insisted that Texas should decide the custody case, emphasizing the children's residence and a San Antonio court validating parental rights. On the other hand, Grimes contended that California is the appropriate jurisdiction, citing the children's residence since July. Grimes, in her legal brief, accused Musk of taking their oldest son to Texas without her consent and subjecting her to intense scrutiny by a security team. She described the conditions as suffocating, asserting, "While mother was in Texas, however, [the] father and his security team controlled nearly every aspect of mother’s life."

As the custody battle unfolds, Grimes challenges Musk's claim that the children lived in Texas for six consecutive months before the filing of the petition on September 7, 2023. Grimes' lawyer, Becky Beaver, emphasized, "Father conclusory statement that as of that date he 'had actual care, control, and possession of each child in Travis County, Texas at least six consecutive months' is demonstrably false."