LONDON: After a long engagement, Jennifer Hudson and David Otunga never made it down that aisle and their split is already getting ugly.
While the duo is embroiled in a custody dispute regarding their young child, the 36-year-old singer has been granted a restraining order against Otunga.
Otunga’s attorney, Tracy M Rizzo, released a statement on behalf of the former professional wrestler following the split news, refuting Hudson’s claims that the WWE star physically abused her in front of their 8-year-old son and even used a gun to intimidate her, the Mirror reported.
“David Otunga has been trying to negotiate the terms of an amicable parenting agreement with Ms Hudson for several weeks now,” the statement read.
“However, when it became apparent to Ms. Hudson that Mr. Otunga would be the parent granted residential care of the child, as a result of Mr. Otunga being the child’s primary caregiver while Ms. Hudson pursues her career all over the world, Ms. Hudson decided to file a meritless Petition for Order of Protection in an effort to gain an unfair advantage in the custody dispute,” it continued.
It added, “As a result of Mr Otunga’s career in the WWE, Ms Hudson felt that she could give an award-winning performance in court to portray herself as the victim.”
“Mr Otunga has never abused or harassed Ms Hudson or their son, and it is unfortunate, especially in today’s climate, that she would feel the need to make these false allegations against him,” the statement concluded. “Mr Otunga looks forward to his day in court and in being awarded the residential care of the parties’ only child.”
According to the order of protection filed by the ‘Dreamgirls’ star, their 10-year relationship began to "deteriorate" in April 2017. Though they live in the same home, they have been sleeping in separate rooms for at least six months.
Describing her baby daddy as "physically imposing," she claimed he showed "increasingly aggressive, threatening and harassing behaviour" toward her and their son as their relationship broke down.
Accusing him of mental and physical abuse, she said in her filing that things reached a tipping point Wednesday, at a recording studio in Chicago.
The next court date is set for December 7.