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Levi Johnston’s child custody battle may be uphill

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Wednesday, August 8, 2012.

Celebrity family law issues are always in the news. Whether it’s a famous actor who files for divorce, or a musician vying for child custody, it is sure to make all of the headlines. For some news readers, while these stories can be considered nothing more than gossip, often times just the baseline situation can in some ways mirror concerns Illinois parents are having.

An example of this was the recent news that Levi Johnston may be seeking child custody of his 3-year-old son, Tripp. Johnston is the ex-boyfriend of Bristol Palin, who is the daughter of Sarah Palin.

Johnston’s concerns came after watching his son’s behavior on the reality TV show, “Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp.” In the show Tripp was supposedly acting out. Johnston now says he was “disgusted” with his little boy’s behavior and fears the 3-year-old is on a “downward spiral.”

This all comes two weeks after the 3-year-old also supposedly used an inappropriate slur word on the show too.

Speculation is this concern for how his son is being raised led the 22-year-old father to the courthouse to pick up paperwork that would start the process of attempting to gain custody of his son.

Looking to the future, if Johnston is in fact trying to receive primary custody, he may have a long road ahead of him as the courts are often reluctant to remove a child from a custodial parent, especially if the custodial parent is the mother.

However, this is not to say that it cannot be done.

The judge assigned to a child custody case such as this one will most likely look at the best interests of the child while comparing the mental and physical health of both parents as well as the environment where the child would be living before making any decision on whether to change a custody agreement.

Source: Reuters, “Levi Johnston Wants Custody of Son After Bristol Palin TV Show,” Aug. 6, 2012

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