Just days after Rumer Willis’ opened up about the “brutal” decision she had to make to end the relationship with her baby’s father, musician Derek Richard Thomas, Us Weekly can reveal new behind the scenes details of their bitter split.
Willis and Thomas began dating in 2022, welcoming daughter Louetta the following year. By 2024, Willis confirmed that the twosome had gone their separate ways. In a social media statement shared at the time, Rumer — who is the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore — said she was “single-moming it and coparenting.”
According to new court documents filed in Los Angeles — some as recently as May 13 — Thomas initiated legal proceedings in July 2025 to establish a parental relationship. Over the past year the former couple have been locked in a contentious back-and-forth, leveling allegations against one another.
Us Weekly reached out to Willis and Thomas’ lawyers for comment.
Scroll down to see what the court docs have revealed:
Child Custody and Visitation
In the original petition to determine the parental relationship, Thomas requested an order for child custody and visitation after Rumer allegedly moved with their daughter to Sun Valley, Idaho, in 2024. At the time, Thomas claimed he supported the idea of a temporary evacuation when the wild fires ravaged Los Angeles, California, but he claimed she didn’t ask for or receive his permission for Louetta to be relocated long-term, which she denies.
When Thomas filed his case, he said that he saw Louetta about once a month in Los Angeles and every day when he was allowed. While he stated that Rumer claimed this decision was due to breastfeeding, Thomas shared that he thinks the choice is about control, per docs. In July 2025, Rumer also filed a paternity case in Idaho.
At the time, Thomas expressed concerns about relocating this case to Idaho, where Rumer’s family has “long-standing roots and significant influence.”
“Her mother resides there, and her family has historically owned large portions of real estate in the area. I worry that this could create an imbalance in the legal process,” he said, noting that this is why the case should remain in California. He went on to claim that this filing “is not about control. It’s not about conflict. It’s about love.”
Thomas requested joint legal and physical custody of Louetta and child visitation. Weeks after Thomas filed his paperwork, Rumer filed a motion to dismiss his petition in August 2025 and claimed that Louetta’s home state is Idaho, but her case was dismissed in January 2026 when the court found that California was the proper venue.
Rumer claimed that she’s offered to pay Thomas to visit with their daughter in Idaho multiple times, which he has allegedly refused. Rumer also claimed that Thomas was aware of her decision to relocate Louetta to Idaho and had spoken to him about visitation.
“I have offered visits in Idaho many times, especially during the months I’ve not been able to travel with Louetta to California,” she alleged at the time. “I’ve even offered to pay for transportation, offered [my ex] housing for anytime he visits Idaho, and I’ve offered him my car to drive to Idaho. He refuses every time and has not visited Louetta in Idaho. Anytime he sees Louetta it is because I facilitate travel to California. I also facilitate regular FaceTime between Loretta and her dad for at least 30 minutes.”
In September 2025, documents showed that the exes agreed to participate in mediation with a private judge “to try to resolve all issues.”
In subsequent court documents filed, Rumer claimed that Thomas was offered “a luxurious place to stay” on her mother‘s property in Sun Valley, where Louetta resides with Rumer. But he “forfeited visits” with his daughter.
She has also asked for primary physical custody and for a custody evaluation. She also requested that Thomas be ordered to “submit to court ordered drug testing due to his history of chronic daily marijuana use and evidence of behavior indicative of someone under the influence of drugs for extended periods of time.”
In her declaration, Rumer stated that their daughter “was traumatized by [Thomas] in her first 14 months of her life by [his] insane, emotional abuse that he inflicted upon me for sometimes up to six hours at a time often for hours while Louetta was awake and present and crying. Also, he often did this in the car with Louetta and I trapped in the vehicle where we could not get away from him.”
Allegations of ‘Unstable and Abusive’ Behavior
In early 2026, Rumer filed a responsive declaration asking that Thomas’ time with Louetta remain the same as an August 2025 custodial agreement — which included giving him time with their daughter six hours per day for up to three to four days per week in Los Angeles or Sun Valley, Idaho.
Rumer also requested that Thomas’ girlfriend not be present “due to his known history of fighting in relationships, and in front of the child. Or, in the alternative, should the girlfriend be allowed to be present, if [Thomas] begins fighting with the girlfriend at any point, the nanny is allowed to remove the child from the situation.”
In his own documents, Thomas claimed there is “no factual basis that in any way supports [Rumer’s] allegations,” he stated regarding claims made involving his now-fiancé. “Louetta clearly demonstrates tremendous affection for Lizzie and this appears to enrage [Rumer]. [They] have a very positive relationship that contributes to Louetta’s development in the best ways.”
At the time, Rumer asked the court for a 730 evaluation — commonly known as a child custody evaluation where an unbiased mental health professional assesses parents and children to determine custody arrangements.
Rumer’s filed documents stated that this was “due to [his] history of unstable and abusive behavior when in relationships, his horrible abusive and hostile behavior that he engaged in on a daily basis in front of the minor child while living with [Rumer] and Louetta, his known chronic and long history of drug use, and what appears to be a lack of ability to responsibly care for a young child by putting her needs before his own.”
In her documents, Rumer claimed that “during the relationship [Derek] engaged in a persistent pattern of emotional abuse and often in front of the minor child or while they were trapped in the car with him. He engaged in ongoing cohesive control through prolonged circular verbal attacks that he is unable or unwilling to stop. [He] engages in this type of attack for over six hours at a time on what became a daily basis.”
While Rumer claimed she is unaware of Thomas’ drug use since they broke up, she alleged in the documents that she “has personal knowledge from the two years she spent in her relationship with [Thomas] that [he] is a chronic daily drug user.”
“[Rumer] does not use drugs or drink alcohol at all,” the docs stated. “She knows for certain the main drug [Derek] abuses is marijuana. However, from his bizarre and unreasonable behavior one could reasonably believe that he is using other drugs without her knowledge. [His] behavior and personality is one that is commonly seen by drug users, such as emotionally abusive, unreasonable, constant arguing, illogical resentments, hostility, immaturity, impulsiveness, lack of any ambition, unemployable, and an inability to even think of others needs before their own.”
Thomas denied her allegations of drug abuse and claimed he no longer smokes weed. “This is false,” he stated in docs, adding he is not a “current user of marijuana.”
He continued, “I have previously used marijuana as legally allowed and at no point did I engage in the use of marijuana to such a degree as to render me unable to fully and properly fulfill my duties and obligations as Louetta’ s father.”
Rumer claimed that Thomas was “emotionally abusive” to her “in front of Louetta in her first year of life until [Rumer] finally was able to get him out of her house in June 2024. Louetta was visibly traumatized by [his] behavior.”
She described Louetta as “crying a lot, nervousness and an inability to nap or sleep well.” Rumer also claimed it took her a while to get Louetta to stabilize, sharing that their daughter “now lives a calm, peaceful, happy life.”
Thomas responded in his own declaration filed in early 2026, claiming that Rumer’s statements were “replete with inaccurate and false information.”
He claimed to “have an excellent, loving and very supportive relationship with our daughter … and I have been a very consistently involved father … since her birth to the extent [Rumer] has allowed me to be so involved. There has never been any legitimate question raised concerning my parenting or ability to meet Louetta’s every need. Louetta has never suffered for any want in my care, has never been injured in any way, has not suffered trauma or emotional or physical abuse of any kind nor been neglected at any time she’s been in my care. [Rumer] fails to detail, even a single credible instance of any mistreatment or neglect by me.”
Trust Issues
Rumer claimed in the documents that before Louetta was born she “told [Derek] he could not smoke weed in the house anymore” and said that he used “all his savings” to rent a music studio 30 minutes from their home. After Louetta was born, Thomas would go to his music studio all day “getting stoned” and would come home “clearly high.”
“On one occasion when Louetta was a few months old, we were watching a movie and I went to the bathroom and asked him to watch her,” she alleged. “From the other room, I heard a thump, and I heard her crying, and I went in the room. He was so high, that he could not even watch her for those couple of minutes without her rolling off the couch.
She continued, “He let her fall off the bed once in November 2023. She was screaming. I was furious with him. He then made it all about him that I was upset about him letting her fall off the bed instead of just comforting her baby and helping her feel better.”
Rumer also alleged that Thomas “should not be allowed to bathe with Louetta.”
“I feel it is highly inappropriate for [him] to bathe with Louetta naked at her age. I told him so in a text message after I heard him tell her that in November 2025,” she claimed. “Since the day she was born, he has insisted on ‘skin on skin contact’ with Louetta where he would whip off his shirt in front of anyone and have Louetta naked even when she was clearly cold so that he could have ‘skin on skin contact.’”
Rumer went on to allege that she “could not trust [Thomas] to be alone” with Louetta when she was a baby.
Thomas, for his part, alleged in early 2026 court docs that Louetta has “never suffered for any want in my care, has never been injured in any way, has not suffered trauma or emotional or physical abuse of any kind nor been neglected at any time she’s been in my care. [Rumer] fails to detail, even a single credible instance of any mistreatment or neglect by me.”
Restraining Order Was ‘Last Course of Action’
When Rumer and Thomas separated in June 2024, she said a public restraining order was “highly desired“ but it was “a last course of action.“
Rumer claimed it’s also the reason that she “has been walking on eggshells with [Thomas] since the breakup as [he] has threatened to expose me publicly for nonsensical things. He has even made one of these threats verbally to me last fall. There is no basis to his threats, but he makes them, nonetheless.”
Rumer alleged in court documents that if Thomas had not agreed to move out when she asked him nearly two years ago, she “would have obtained a restraining order,” adding, “I probably would have done one after he left if it were not for my family‘s public life.”
In his own documents, Thomas denied her claims, stating, “I have never physically, or in any other manner, threatened [Rumer] directly or indirectly. … No restraining order was ever sought despite [Rumer] having more than sufficient resources to pursue such an order if she believed it was necessary.”
Visiting Father Bruce Willis
In court documents, Rumer noted that her famous father, Bruce, is “extremely ill.” (The family went public with Bruce’s aphasia diagnosis in 2022, later revealing he has frontotemporal dementia.)
“[Thomas] knows that many of my visits to Los Angeles since [my] move to Idaho have been to visit my father and for Louretta to spend time with her grandfather,” the docs stated. “[Thomas] has made it clear to me that this is of no importance to him.”
As stated in her filed documents, “And he causes high stress and chaos around simple custodial plans and exchanges often forgoing his time with Louetta over agreeing to very basic requests like keeping Louetta on her nap routine or allowing the nanny to come on the visits.”
Rumer claimed, “For a long time, it was difficult for me to stand up to [Thomas] as I tried to avoid his emotional tirades and abuse even for a long time after he moved out.”
Rumer also alleged that during a “family emergency” in December 2025, Thomas arrived unannounced at the gate of her mother Demi’s home in the early morning hours “demanding to be let in.”
“We would not let him in as we do not feel safe with him at this point,” she stated in docs, adding that “the lack of safety is from the history of his unpredictable abusive nature.”
She continued, “I finally threatened to call the police and then he left.”
Financial Strain
In 2026, Rumer filed income and expense documents stating that as an actor she has made more than $4,800 per month with her production company and has made about $4,000 to $5000 a month from her rental property. Rumer claimed to spend $15,000 to $21,000 a month on child care, groceries, clothes, education, and other expenses.
Rumer alleged that Thomas does not work and earns about $3,000 a month from royalties. She also claimed that he “particularly shows no interest to support his child” and “has not paid for any pregnancy expenses, medical expenses, or any of Louetta’s expenses to date.”
“He does not pay me any child support, nor has he ever offered to pay for anything that Louetta needs,” she claimed in documents. “He does not look for work nor shows any desire to work. He only constantly harassed me for financial support and even to be put on my bank accounts when we had only been together a few months.”
She alleged that two to three months after meeting, they moved in together and “as soon as he moved into my home … he began berating and fighting me with unreasonable demands for money. He shows no ambition or desire to do anything.”
Rumer claimed that although she is “committed to maintaining the relationship” between father and daughter, she “is no longer willing to support [his] visitation or pay for all of Louetta’s expenses.”
Rumer claimed he expects her and her “wealthy family to take care of everything financially, emotionally, and physically.” However, the docs noted that Rumer is “not wealthy” and “does not rely on her parents for her expenses to be paid. She’s going to be in severe debt with the attorney fees from this litigation.”
In his own docs outlining his income last July, Thomas — who lists his occupation as “musician, educator and entrepreneur” — claimed to make about $3,600 a month.
In other documents filed in January, Thomas stated he has “been a very consistently involved father to Louetta since her birth to the extent [Rumer] has allowed me to be so involved. There has never been any legitimate question raised concerning my parenting or ability to meet Louetta’ s every need.”
Why the Relationship Ended
Rumer claimed that her and Thomas’ relationship ended in 2024 because of his “incessant domestic violence in the form of cohesive control and his nonstop argumentative behavior in front of their daughter.”
“He could not control himself even when his one-year-old child was crying and clearly traumatized by his behavior,” her docs stated. “The emotional abuse in front of their child and [his] drug use are the primary reasons [Rumer] does not want [him] to have overnights or time with Louetta without a 730 child custody evaluation.”
Rumer went on to claim that she tried to end her relationship with Thomas for “months.”
“I wanted him to move out as early as when Louetta was born because that is when his erratic and bizarre behavior escalated. I was in a fragile postpartum state, and he was causing me a lot of stress,” she wrote. “I also became afraid for myself and our baby, so I was constantly trying to keep the peace and walk on eggshells. He wanted to isolate me from my friends and family. He constantly called me a liar with no reason behind it. He told me I was a bad girlfriend all the time. He had paranoid behavior saying that my mother and I were plotting to take Louetta away from him. He got very mad at me when I would not let his mother smoke weed in my house when Louetta was a newborn. I offered to get his mother a hotel room (she was a stranger to me and I had just given birth) but he insisted that she stay in my house for a week.”
In documents filed in early 2026, Thomas claimed that he “never physically, or in any other manner, ‘threatened’ [Rumer] directly or indirectly.”
“I have committed no acts of domestic violence in any form, including any active ‘coercive control.’ [Our] relationship was unhealthy and appropriately came to an end, but it was not at all characterized by any violence, physical or emotional attacks or intimidation on my part,” he wrote. “The decision to end the relationship between myself and [Rumer] was a mutual decision made in our mutual best interests.”
Demi Moore Details Rumer’s Home Birth
In Moore’s declaration to the court in January 2026, she detailed her interactions with Thomas, including a claim that he “appears to want to dictate and control Rumer’s environment to his needs.”
“An example of this was during the birth of Louetta,” Moore recalled in filed documents. “Rumer had a home birth. I was present for the birth along with Rumer’s siblings. While Rumer was giving birth to Louetta in the birthing tub, Derek, without asking, and without having showered, got into the birthing tub in an aggressive and sudden manner. Everyone was shocked. Rumer asked him to get out immediately, and he did. He then spent the rest of the birth acting angry and pouting, and making it all about him. No consideration to Rumer, the baby, the process, or anyone else for that matter. He essentially ruined what should’ve been one of the happiest moments of her life.”
The next day, Moore recalled returning to the house with Rumer’s sister Scout and others to help her daughter navigate her first day as a new mom, but Thomas came into Rumer’s room to “angrily complain that we were there cleaning.”
“I heard him pressure Rumer not to have me and her sisters there with her for support. I heard him berate and angrily complain to Rumer ‘how dare we come over without his permission.’ He stayed in the room with Rumer for at least 30 minutes that morning less than 12 hours after Rumer had given birth,” she recalled in filed docs. “He would not leave her alone. It ended only when Rumer left the room to get away from him.”
She continued, “After cleaning, I had my first moment to hold my newborn granddaughter. I was holding her and Derek suddenly whipped off his shirt and demanded I give him the baby so he could have what he called ‘skin to skin contact,’” which she described as “aggressive. … He would not let Rumer put clothes on Louetta when she was clearly cold and needing to be bundled and swaddled. He showed absolutely no respect, care, concern, compassion or support toward anyone, especially Rumer and the baby.”
The award-winning actress claimed Derek seemed intent on driving a wedge between Rumer and her family.
“Derek constantly sucks the joy out of all encounters with him,” Moore wrote. “He wants to put Rumer at odds with our family, and creates unnecessary stress and fear for Rumer to this day.”
She continued, “While our family made an effort to support Derek as a new father and do our best to support Rumer around his actions, he continued to try to cut her support system completely out of the picture.”
She also recounted times when her granddaughter was brought back to her home “filthy” after being in Thomas’ care.
“On many occasions, he brings Louetta back filthy to my house with an unchanged diaper. He has left her car seat filthy, and his general attitude is that it is unimportant. He does not pick up after himself. He clearly expected Rumer or me or our staff to do everything for him.”
She further made claims that her daughter is “doing 100 percent of the financial and physical support” for her granddaughter.
“He makes no effort to acknowledge that, support that, and in fact has only put Louetta and Rumer in more stressful situations,” Moore wrote. “I have continued to see him make choices that are not reflective of someone who truly wants to share in parental responsibility.”
“He has refused to make any effort and has shown no desire to seek out means to support Louetta,” she continued, adding that “he refused to make choices to share in any of the basic responsibilities.”
Derek Richard Thomas’ Response
In a response to Us, Thomas’ lawyer Michael J. Kretzmer said, “First, Miss Willis’ recitation of facts and circumstances is, to put it kindly, substantially inaccurate and replete with false allegations. This matter will be heard by the Los Angeles Superior Court. Mr. Thomas is not going to try this case in the press.”
The statement continued, “Facts and circumstances are not in the least as described by Miss Willis. Derek Thomas is an excellent father who wants nothing more than to be a fully responsible, committed, caring and devoted father to their child. We are confident that in court we’ll see clearly what has occurred in the course of the relationship between Miss Willis and Mr. Thomas.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
