Kehlani has been granted a temporary restraining order against her ex Javaughn Young-White, and court documents reveal accusations traded by the pair in a heated custody battle over their 5-year-old daughter.
The “After Hours” singer filed her request in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday, two weeks after Young-White filed a petition demanding full custody of their daughter.
The restraining order, which is set to expire at the end of a hearing on Sept. 3, bars Young-White from contacting his ex or her daughter, even by phone or email, according to documents reviewed by The Times. The 27-year-old has been ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Kehlani, the girl and his daughter’s school or daycare.
Kehlani retains full physical and legal custody for the duration of the court-ordered decision.
“I am urgently seeking orders,” Kehlani said in a Thursday filing in which she accused Young-White of being “physically, verbally and emotionally abusive.”
The two-time Grammy nominee cited an incident in which Young-White allegedly became enraged and threw a guitar at her when she was pregnant. Young-White, she claimed, later said he felt “trapped” by the birth of his daughter, “and that I had 'ruined' his life.”
“When he is agitated, he can’t stop moving and throws his arms in the air while screaming and yelling at me, often throwing objects and calling me horrible names,” she said. “It scares me and I can imagine it must be very upsetting for a small child.”
Kehlani also said Young-White “self-medicates” with marijuana and psychedelics, often in the company of her daughter.
Citing Young-White’s alleged history of abuse, Commissioner Jeffrey W. Korn said in a court order reviewed by The Times that there was a risk of child abduction in the case. As a result, Young-White has been prohibited from traveling with his daughter outside of Los Angeles County, or applying for passports and other travel-related documents. He also cannot possess or purchase firearms and ammunition, according to the terms of the restraining order.
For her part, Young-White, in a July 24 custody complaint reviewed by The Times, claimed that Kehlani had been involved for years in a “cult” that “controls her actions and behavior, including in regards to raising our daughter.” On one occasion, she said, the cult leader persuaded Kehlani to keep her daughter away from her father because of a “vision.”
“However, after the Defendant's cult leader's 'vision' that I would kill our daughter, Defendant leaves our daughter with random strangers who are also cult members,” she said.
Additionally, he said, because Kehlani had a home birth “arranged” by the cult, his name is not on her daughter’s birth certificate, and Kehlani has repeatedly refused to add it. In addition, he said, she will not provide him with a copy of her daughter’s birth certificate or Social Security number.
In her lawsuit, Young-White asked that the court establish his paternity, grant him full custody of their daughter and order Kehlani to pay child support “due to the vast difference between our respective incomes.” She also recommended that he undergo a psychological exam, claiming that he once told her he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“I am not here to disparage the defendant,” he said. “However, the environment she has created for herself [sic] “This is not the kind of environment a child should live in and therefore I am appealing to the mercy and wisdom of the Court to save my daughter before it is too late.”
Last week, Kehlani said in an Instagram story that she no longer exists that she “strongly stands by”[ies] any claim that I have put my child in danger.”
Representatives for Kehlani and Young-White did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment Thursday.
