‘Sister Wives’ Christine & Kody Brown’s Custody Case Takes Drastic Turn
Sister Wives stars, Christine Brown Woolley and Kody Brown’s custody case has taken a drastic turn. The exes had to meet in court over custody, paternity, and child support regarding their daughter, Truely. Yet, it did not turn out the way anyone expected it to. Keep reading for further details.
Christine & Kody Brown’s Custody Case Takes Drastic Turn
When Christine Brown Woolley shared she was moving to Utah, Kody Brown tried to sway her. She was taking their youngest child, Truely so he did all he could to keep her from leaving. Though he was not a very active parent, he also liked control. Since he and Christine were never legally married, he told her that the state could take their daughter away. He used scare tactics to keep Christine close but it did not work. It was clear that Truely never felt comfortable with her father or at the home he shared with Robyn.
The Ashley can exclusively reveal that the Sister Wives exes had a hearing on Wednesday for Christine’s court case against her ex-husband, whom she sued in September for custody, paternity and child support for their youngest child Truly.
According to court documents pulled by The Ashley, Kody and Christine’s lawyers met (via web conference, due to Kody living in Arizona and Christine residing in Utah) to discuss the status of the case. The court docs state that both sides have completed their disclosures for the case, and that the exes are ordered to attend a mediation conference set for May 21, 2025.
While that’s relatively expected, what’s not expected is that, on Wednesday, the Court classified Kody and Christine’s case on Track 1 and Track 3. Utah domestic court cases set to Track 1 are “standard,” but Track 3 assignments are only for cases classified as having a “significant custody dispute.”
According to the Utah State Courts website, “This category includes cases with significant custody disputes, including custody disputes involving allegations of child abuse or domestic violence. For a Track 3 case, at the case management conference the court and parties will address: 1) whether a custody evaluation is necessary, and, if so, the form of the evaluation and appointment considerations; and 2) whether appointment of a private guardian ad litem is necessary, and if so, the scope of the appointment and apportionment of costs.”
In addition, “The court will prepare and issue any resulting orders appointing a custody evaluator or guardian ad litem
and schedule the case for either a pretrial hearing or a custody evaluation settlement conference.”
(Just to add here: the fact that this case is “Track 3” does not mean that there have been any allegations of child abuse or domestic violence. While those types of cases are often classified as “Track 3,” The Ashley is not reporting that’s what is happening in this case. However, Track 3 is typically reserved for cases with the highest conflict or need the highest level of consideration and negotiation.)
As The Ashley previously reported, Christine filed a “Petition for Declaration of Paternity, Child Custody, Parent Time, and Support” on September 16 against Kody. (Christine and Kody share six children, but Truly is only one who is under the age of 18.)
In the petition, Christine demanded that Kody take a paternity test to show that Truly is his biological daughter. (As ‘Sister Wives’ fans will remember, Christine was Kody’s third wife. Since their marriage wasn’t legal and they weren’t open about being polygamists at the time, Kody’s name didn’t appear on any of the birth certificates for his and Christine’s six kids.)
It appears that the paternity test has been completed (or is underway), as a fee was paid for something paternity-related on October 23, the same day that Kody filed his answer to Christine’s lawsuit.
While Kody and Christine’s court battle will likely be addressed on a future season of ‘Sister Wives,’ this week’s court hearing will not be included, as the court specifically ruled that the hearing could not be recorded, photographed or transmitted. Had any party tried to record it, they would have been charged with being in contempt with court, which was to be punishable by fine and time in jail.
Christine (and/or Kody) have taken steps to keep the public from knowing personal, family information (which could include income declarations and other private info). The information contained in Kody’s response/counterclaim has been marked “not public” and is not able to be viewed by anyone other than the courts, Kody and Christine and their legal counsel.
Conflicted Followers
Sister Wives fans are very conflicted by this whole situation. They have seen Kody Brown neglect his children so to want more custody of Truely was very confusing. Furthermore, the feeling was Kody only wanted more custody so he did not have to pay up to Christine:
- I wonder how often he has had Truley at his and Robyn’s home since she moved to Utah with her mother, and if he has been consistently paying child support. I presume he has not been, or there would have been no need for the court case. And Truley may now be old enough to choose whether or not she wants to spend time with her father at his home.
- So many thoughts. If Kody ever wanted “significant custody,” it would’ve been obvious based on the time he spends with her which was none/not much. He’s only fighting for custody because he doesn’t want to pay Christine. He’s only fighting for custody so he doesn’t look like an a**hole. The fact that he is wanting custody while being estranged from 2/3 of his children is beyond rich.
Are you shocked that this was not a cut-and-dry situation and that Kody seems to be dragging it out? Finally, do you think he will lose in the end? Let us know and watch Sister Wives Sundays on TLC.