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Olivia Wilde Scores a Win in Child Custody Battle With Jason Sudeikis as Judge Rejects Request to Have Case Moved to New York

Olivia Wilde Scores a Win in Child Custody Battle With Jason Sudeikis as Judge Rejects Request to Have Case Moved to New York - 166
Olivia Wilde, Jason Sudeikis. Shutterstock (2)

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis‘ child custody case will remain in California.

Related: A Timeline of Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde's Messy Custody Battle

Judge Adele Alexis Harris announced on Friday, March 24, that she was rejecting Sudeikis’ request to have the case moved to New York, according to TMZ.

“The Court finds that it is in the interest of substantial justice that the parties’ child support petition be heard in California,” the judge stated in legal documents obtained by the outlet. The decision came more than six months after he attempted to move the case.

The legal victory for Wilde, 39, came shortly after she called out the Ted Lasso star, 47, for prolonging their lengthy custody battle. (The former couple, who called it quits in November 2020, share son Otis, 8, and daughter Daisy, 6.)

“Jason should not be permitted to litigate Olivia into debt, and then claim she should be deprived of her right to seek a needs-based fee contribution from him,” the actress’ legal team wrote in court documents obtained by the Daily Mail on Thursday, March 23. “While the details of Jason’s finances are presently unknown as he refused to substantively respond to basic discovery, she is aware that he is far wealthier than she is.”

In the legal paperwork, the Don’t Worry Darling director argued that Sudeikis was acting with “underhandedness” and “bad faith” when it came to their children. The pair have previously offered rare insight into their approach to coparenting amid the messy custody battle.

In August 2022, Wilde broke her silence after she was publicly served legal documents at a professional event.

Related: Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis’ Relationship Timeline

“The only peo­ple who suffered were my kids, because they’ll have to see that, and they shouldn’t ever have to know that happened,” she told Variety in August 2022, four months after the documents were handed to her onstage at CinemaCon. “For me, it was appalling, but the victims were an 8­ and 5 year-­old, and that’s really sad. I chose to become an actress. I willingly walked into the spotlight. But it’s not something my children have asked for. And when my kids are dragged into it, it’s deeply painful.”

 

She continued: “I hated that this nastiness distracted from the work of so many different people and the studio that I was up there representing. To try to sabotage that was really vicious. But I had a job to do; I’m not easily distracted. But, you know, sadly, it was not something that was entirely surprising to me. I mean, there’s a reason I left that relationship.”

The former Saturday Night Live star, for his part, argued that he didn’t know his ex-fiancée would receive the paperwork at a public venue.

Related: Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis' Quotes About Their Romance Over the Years

“Olivia’s talk was an important event for Olivia, both professionally and personally, and I am very, very sorry that the incident marred her special moment,” Sudeikis stated in the legal paperwork, noting that he didn’t want to deliver the documents to his kids’ school or to the home of Wilde’s then-boyfriend Harry Styles in case their children “might be present.”

Wilde, who parted ways from Styles, 29, in November 2022, later opened up about the “tough” transition for her kids following her split from their father.

“It’s allowed for some really deep conversations with my kids about emotions and about happiness and about what family means and love,” she shared on The Kelly Clarkson Show in September 2022. “It’s actually allowed me to get to know them in a different way. My priority is them, as long as they’re happy and they’re healthy. There are so many families that are blended and different shapes.”

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