Jennifer Hudson and her ex-fiancé, David Otunga, reached a custody agreement over their 9-year-old son, David Jr., after battling in court for nearly two years, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The Oscar winner, 37, and the WWE color commemorator, 39, signed the paperwork on Tuesday, July 16, after seven hours of closed-door negotiations at the Richard J. Daley Center in Chicago, according to the newspaper. The former couple also reportedly met with Judge Karen Bowes for 30-plus minutes without their attorneys. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
Hudson and Otunga got engaged in September 2008, and welcomed their son the following August. They announced their separation in November 2017.
“They have been in the process of ending their relationship for a number of months,” the American Idol season 3 finalist’s rep told Us Weekly at the time. “Today, Jennifer requested and received a protective order against her ex-fiancé. Jennifer’s actions are solely taken in the best interest of their son.”
In response, Otunga’s attorney, Tracy M. Rizzo, told Us that he had been “trying to negotiate the terms of an amicable parenting agreement with Ms. Hudson for several weeks,” but the singer “decided to file a meritless petition for order of protection in an effort to gain an unfair advantage in the custody dispute.”
Hudson claimed in court documents obtained by Us later that month that Otunga’s behavior had been “increasingly aggressive, threatening and harassing” in the weeks leading up to their split. “I am now living in fear for my physical and emotional safety and that of my son,” she stated.
The actor denied the Dreamgirls star’s allegations and was cleared of charges in a domestic violence investigation in January 2018. A gag order signed by the judge in 2017 prohibited the exes and their attorneys from publicly speaking about the case.
Us Weekly has reached out to Hudson and Otunga’s attorneys for comment.
