Jennifer Hudson has received an order of protection from her longterm boyfriend David Otunga as well as temporary exclusive use of their home while the need for the protection order is investigated.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Hudson claims on November 15, Otunga pushed her while she was in their master bathroom, holding their child.
Wait what? I am having trouble visualizing this. Let me first point out that the minor child is an eight year old boy. What the hell is an eight year old boy doing in his parents bathroom in the first place? Let’s assume that perhaps JHud called him in to talk to him about something while she was doing her makeup. At what point does she have a need to pick up an 8-year-old boy? That seems kind of old for a mom to be picking up a kid. How much does an eight year old weigh? This description immediately struck me as very odd.
JHud’s statement went on to read, “I am afraid that D. Otunga will continue to physically intimidate and abuse me. He has a history of physical and emotional abuse, and I am afraid that his physical attacks will continue to escalate, especially due to the contentious nature of our parentage proceedings.”
This seems weird to me. Then, David Otunga’s attorney, Tracy M. Rizzo released the following statement:
David Otunga has been trying to negotiate the terms of an amicable parenting agreement with Ms. Hudson for several weeks now; however, when it became apparent to Ms. Hudson that Mr. Otunga would be the parent granted residential care of the child, as a result of Mr. Otunga being the child’s primary caregiver while Ms. Hudson pursues her career all over the world, Ms. Hudson decided to file a meritless Petition for Order of Protection in an effort to gain an unfair advantage in the custody dispute.
As a result of Mr. Otunga’s career in the WWE, Ms. Hudson felt that she could give an award winning performance in court to portray herself as the victim. Mr. Otunga has never abused or harassed Ms. Hudson or their son, and it is unfortunate, especially in today’s climate, that she would feel the need to make these false allegations against him. Mr. Otunga looks forward to his day in court and in being awarded the residential care of the parties’ only child.
It does seem likely to me that David is the primary caregiver to their son. He clearly lives with the boy and Jennifer has been in the UK doing The Voice and is now doing The Voice here. It would seem to me that David is probably the stay at home dad.
I just saw the TMZ article where David is pretty much saying exactly what I was thinking. Also his lawyer has reviewed the court documents and given another statement.
Mr. Otunga has now had the opportunity to review the Petition for Order of Protection that Jennifer Hudson filed on November 16, 2017 and he wants to make it very clear that he denies each and every allegation contained in that petition.
Mr. Otunga is now and has always been the primary caregiver of the parties’ son. On November 15, 2017 Ms. Hudson thought it was appropriate to have their son at a recording studio until 12:30am on a
school night. Mr. Otunga’s only concern that evening was putting the child to bed so that he could be well rested for school. At no time did Mr.Otunga “physically push” Ms. Hudson as she has alleged. Everyone who knows Mr. Otunga in his personal life can attest to the fact that he is a highly educated, sophisticated, and non-violent man, and that his primary concern in life is caring for the parties’ son.Related Posts: Check Out The Recaps of The Voice This Season, Live Performances Soon!
Ms. Hudson is much less available to care for the child as a result of her constant travelling, but Mr. Otunga has always notified Ms. Hudson of the child’s activities and whereabouts. Mr. Otunga does not own a firearm, and the gun referenced in Ms. Hudson’s petition was a prop that he used for an audition, just as he told her it was at the time she saw it in their house. It is unfortunate that Ms. Hudson has filed this petition in a calculated manner to not only have Mr. Otunga removed from the family home, but also in an effort to insert herself as the child’s primary caregiver. Despite the fact that Mr. Otunga has been represented by counsel in the custody dispute for many weeks, Ms. Hudson and her attorney failed to give Mr. Otunga and his counsel notice of the filing of her petition, so that Mr. Otunga could be present in court. Mr. Otunga only learned of the Order of Protection when the local police removed him from his home in the presence of the child at the direction of Ms. Hudson or her attorney. While the next court date in this matter has been scheduled for December 7, 2017, Mr. Otunga is going to petition the court to have the hearing date advanced to November 21, 2017, so that he can spend Thanksgiving with his son.
Wow, this is not a good look for Jennifer! The latest TMZ story also says that David was separating from Jennifer a couple of months ago when he suspected her of cheating. What do y’all think about this?
She called/screamed for the child to come into the bathroom with her to escape him…. stories of more dv will surface.
Just because he is currently the Primary Care giver doesn’t mean he’s not abusive (and I’m not saying he is), but what possible reason is there for the son to be in the bathroom with her unless it’s under her misguided belief that he wouldn’t do anything untoward in front of their child and therefore using the child as a shield.
It sucks but “if” there is domestic violence then this is the reason the child was in the bathroom with her. I’d bet my life on it.
The bathroom is where my mother would take us when my father was verbally abusive. I would not disregard what she saying. If father her travels for work is called a provider a mother is called a bad mother
No if the father travels for work, the mother is called the primary care giver. If the mother travels for work, the father is called the primary care giver.
David is not a wrestler anymore. He does the color commentary. He was supposed to work Sunday night but cancelled so he can prepare to fight to keep the son he has been raising.
Sounds like he enjoys the luxury Jennifer provides him and sees no need to use his law degree to support his son.
The son is old enough for day long preschool and there is no need for him to be staying at home all day.
I know it swings both ways with stay at home Mom’s.
He’s in the THIRD GRADE.
David still does pro-bono work for people who cannot afford an attorney. He never stopped working in the legal field. He is an Ivy League graduate who came from good home, and who always talks about his son and has him with him.
I agree Tamara, my niece is 8 years old and she already almost 5feet tall, her dad can’t pick her up, i highly doubt that jennifer was holding the child when the supposed incident happened.
I remember that Pam Anderson claimed that the reason she left Tommy Lee was that he had shoved her while she was holding/carrying their youngest boy when he was a baby. Maybe JH remembered that as well and thought it sounded as plausible as any other reason/excuse might sound.
Since JH appeared on American Idol I’ve been a big fan. She’s incredibly talented and, to me, she’s always appeared to be relatively humble and a decent human being so, if she really is guilty of perpetrating a fraud against the father of her child, who has raised their son so that she could pursue her career, I will be very disappointed.
I have no idea what is true or not in their situation, but I DO know that women pull this type of trick and have ever since fathers decided they wanted equal parenting rights more often than people want to admit. If we are going to call men out on their bad behavior, we also need to recognize that women use their sex as a weapon too. This has long been a hot topic for me. Women get lesser punishment for the same crimes, are favored automatically in DV situations, and are usually presumed the “better” parent. Again, not even going to weigh in on what I think of Jennifer Hudson because I obviously don’t know her. But I’ve seen women use this type of ploy to great advantage in the past. It’s a shame.
Amen. But there are some mean bastards out there who have everyone fooled.
Yes and also DV laws are strict against men because women and children have DIED by police etc not taking it serious
He’s a WWE wrestler. Does he not travel for work and why wouldn’t Jennifer bring her family to the UK during filming
I have no clue what their living arrangements are, but having a child in the bathroom with you isn’t odd nor is picking said child up if the father is acting up. I picked up my daughter when she was 8. So what?
I just hope that when emotions settle, the two of them are able to do what is in the child’s best interests and successfully coparent.
I really don’t like these type of stories. I believe it’s legal maneuvering.
I just hope that a solution is found quick, so this little boy doesn’t get stuck in the middle of a mess.
Everyone doesn’t ever know the inner workings of a relationship and it’s entirely possible for someone to be violent in the home and others not he aware. Someone can be highly educated, sophisticated, and still be violent, particularly as a years long relationship is coming to a close.
Agreed. I don’t know who to believe, but I do know it’s not unusual in a stressful situation to pick up your kid, even if he’s 8 years old. I have toted my kids across parking lots in a storm; when they forgot their flip-flops at a hot beach, or when they fell asleep on the couch.
Hi Karen. “it’s entirely possible for someone to be violent in the home and others not he aware”. Anything is possible. However, its highly unlikely that in homes where domestic violence occurs, the neighbors are unaware of it going on.
My father was schizophrenic, (undiagnosed until he was 45 yrs. old) and he self-medicated with alcohol in an effort to cope with his demons. Consequently, he became an alcoholic, as did my mother, in order to cope with my father and his mental illness. Their fights were epic and, trust me, the neighbors were always aware whenever there was an occurrence of violence in our home. In my experience, domestic violence has a soundtrack that is loud, brutal, terrifying and it resounds throughout the neighborhood.
Wow Jupitersmother, you just gave me the chills! Sounds alot like what I am going thru now in my old age. My husband is really showing his true nature of abuse and violence and the soundtrack for this part of my life is loud and awful.
Hoping to break away soon.
Endora, I hope you can find an exit strategy soon!
Endora, ASAP I waited years, lost myself completely, the destruction to my self confidence and self esteem is so deep I struggle to be normal. I’ve actually mimicked the behaviors of other women in a room to know Im behaving normal.
Don’t wait, he won’t get better without help.
Hello Endora. My heart goes out to you and your family. If you fear for your life, please share you concerns with your family and friends and, with their help, make a plan to extricate yourselves from your situation and be very, very careful because, there is a mountain of evidence proving that is in the moment the victim leaves their abuser that their life is in the greatest peril.
I’ll be 72 next month and, despite years of therapy, I’ve never really been able to overcome the violence I witnessed during the first 14 years of my life. Had my father not been killed in a car accident when I was 14, he may very well have succeeded in murdering my mother. He received his schizophrenic diagnosis shortly before he died, therefore, he didn’t have an opportunity to receive treatment or be prescribed the proper medication to hopefully control it. That, to me, is tragic because I loved my father, his mental illness notwithstanding, and it continues to sadden me that my parents, both of whom I continue to love, were robbed of what could have been a wonderful and happy life had it not been for that mental illness.
Yes, when I was in an abusive relationship I’m certain the neighbors knew, but not one called the police to help. I was living in an apartment.
If these folks live in a large home with some land, it’s possible the neighbors aren’t hearing what’s going on inside.
We lived in a house, not an apt. bldg. You’re right that when one’s home is located in an isolated area there’s less of a chance that bouts of violence will be overheard by neighbors.
I have read that Jennifer will not be asked back by The Voice. It said she is unprofessional, always late, does not get along with the cast and is a general pain in the ass and more trouble than she is worth. I have read this many times about her. I think she is FOS. Why now after 10 years, is he all of the sudden abusive.
What is FOS?
Ahhhhh….Full o’ shyt. Took me a minute….
2 things
1. Stop reading rag tabloids that live to print salacious unconfirmed BS i.e. ROL
2. It can take years to report abuse i.e. ALL OF TODAY’S MAJOR NEWS STORIES.
I hope they don’t use the child as a pawn.
It didn’t come from ROL which I don’t read.and never have. I have been hearing this for years about her and Oprah herself said it, when she didn’t show up on time for her show many years ago and Oprah was pissed, because she doesn’t do unprofessional! Once can be salacious unconfirmed BS, more than once a coincidence, but multiple times is a pattern and where there is smoke there is usually fire.
Sharon, PLEASE READ THE COMMENTING RULES!
I read the commenting rules the first time I posted here and just read them again. I don’t see any infractions of the rules in my post. Not sure what you are referring to. What rule did I break?
2. Posting Links to Other Sites or Mentioning Other Sites
Believe it or not the world of blogging is very complex behind the scenes. It’s impossible for me to explain what is okay and not okay to link to so I do not allow links at all. Trying to get around the link rule by saying, “just go Google this set of words” is the same infraction. Just don’t. Comment on my post in my comments and what you see elsewhere at that site. If another site has a different information than I do, POST YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THEIR INFORMATION THERE. They did their work (or just made shit up) and deserve your comments. If you don’t believe them, don’t mention it here. See how easy that is? Don’t drag me in to blog wars, I will not go there. I do not care that you left another site to come to this one. If anything it just makes me think you are going to be a problem.
Got it, but the poster I was responding to is the one who mentioned another site. I simply responded telling her I don’t read the site she referenced.
Child will be used as a pay check. His standard of living will need to be maintained if the state uses divorce laws.
I presume Otunga is innocent until proven otherwise. Hudson may have embellished the truth. Hope their kid is alright.
There’s nothing unusual with a kid being in his mother’s bathroom, especially at that age, even if you have several in the house.
I think it’s really sad that this has gone this far and the story is now in the press-especially TMZ. I don’t know who did what, but it’s being handled badly. People are so short-sighted. The person who will be hurt the most by this is their son. I’m divorcing and the impact on my son has been devastating and we haven’t had any domestic violence, just a lot of tension and hurt feelings. The kids feel all of it for a long, long time.
I’m not saying there is anything nefarious about the kid being in the bathroom with his mother. but one presumes it is a big house and seems odd. Even stranger is that she claimed to be holding him. I googled. He’s way to big for her to have been holding him, and there would be no reason for her to be hold an eight year old in her bathroom. It was written as “holding her minor child” with no mention of age as if she is trying to make it seem like she was holding a baby.
You’re absolutely right, Sliceo’pie. Everything that has taken place in a child’s environment is going to be remembered, if only on a cellular level, and those memories are not possible to eradicate. For a couple of my earliest violent memories one of my therapists introduced me to EMDR, a technique now used to combat PTSD in our brave men and women who return from the frontline of war. As bizarre as it sounded to me when explained, I knew I had nothing to lose and, thankfully it was incredibly effective. Blessings to you and your child.
I’m baffled by all of this, but famous peoples bathrooms can be enormous. I know that’s not the point but I’m pissed I have a small bathroom.
I’m going to give Mr Otunga the presumption of innocence, too. He says she had their 8 year-old son at the studio at 12:30 AM on a school night. That’s a big deal to me-I believe responsible parents have their kids at home and in bed at a reasonable hour on a school night. He’s very assertive about the fact that he’s the child’s primary care giver. If Jennifer earns significantly more than he does, she may be looking st paying him child support-which may be her motivation to claim some degree of DV. I’ve seen people do ugly things to get out of paying support.
I have no idea about their relationship but it seems she was always putting off getting married. I don’t know if I believe he was violent towards her. The story seems odd. If he was, then the order is a good move but if she’s doing it to be a bitter hateful person then I hope it backfires. Perhaps she doesn’t want to pay child support… Just a thought
David Ortunga was on VH1’s “I Love New York”, so I question his sanity.
David was a finalist on the reality show I Love New York over a decade ago. When he hooked up with Jennifer I knew she was being played.. Sometimes you can tell the outcome when you know the nature of the beast. Dude was always looking for recognition
Katie, I remember thinking the same thing back then. Why get a law degree and not work at what you studied for. Other than wanting to be a wrestler which Jennifer supported him during that time and he does seem to be enamored with being in the entertainment field.
He does still work as an attorney, he never stopped.
Steroid use can make a person crazy and angry. Not sure if he does or did take them but he kinda has that “look”. My sister’s ex-husband took them for weight lifting for years and he is as nutty as they come.
He looks fairly normal to me. What is it that you’re referring to when you say “he kinda has that “look”?
Giant muscles and the thick neck. Those WWE guys all look like that. (So did my sisters husband who never admitted to steroid use) I seem to remember articles about the dangers of steroids and the horrible affects. It’s just a thought I had when I looked at his picture. I could be wrong.
This makes me sad hearing these stories where kids are involved. Since the boy is 8 yrs old, it would be smart to have a child psychologist speak to the child about any abuse, without fear of repercussions. That’s the only way to get the truth unless he’s being brainwashed. I have three boys and a grandson and can’t remember a time I ever picked up one of them at 8yrs old. Sure there may be extenuating circumstances that would justify it but agree with TT, doesn’t make sense to me. Hope if this is a ploy to get custody on Jennifer’s part the truth is revealed and David gets his day in court.
Just a little info on how they met. Jennifer saw him, commented on how handsome he was and arranged to meet him. She has repeated this story a number of times so I don’t think he initiated the relationship. I’m sure he saw the advantages of being with her but she initiated the relationship, according to her past interviews. It is alleged she did this order of protection to deflect from her infidelity.
I’m not sure, I just hope for the best. She is extremely talented and he is an intelligent, Harvard educated attorney.
Best wishes to all
Well I was wondering when this relationship would PUBLICLY fade. They came together at a very vulnerable time for her..she had just lost three members of her immediate family. She had his baby while she was still grieving the lost of her nephew who she was very close to…so I believe at “that” time he was what she needed…fast forward 8 years..she has gotten through the grief, found her self and have grown.
People come into your life for a reason …his reason is over. HOWEVER she needs to take a breath and be civil. He is the father of her son and apparently has played a vital role. They need to sit down and hash this out and be FAIR in regards to co parenting. Since David is a Harvard educated attorney and has WWE experience..I’m sure he can bounced back quickly with a reasonable settlement for his time.
This really doesn’t have to be hard…sigh
For some reason I believe David. Jennifer strikes me as the kind of person who let stardom go to her head and loves the idea of making her own money. With her busy schedule I can see David being the primary caregiver. Not to mention that she never bothered to get married after a ridiculously long engagement. Could it be that she wanted to avoid sharing her hard earned coins with her husband should the marriage failed? Certainly she doesn’t want to be hit with huge child support payments if he is given primary custody, thus the sudden order of protection. Finally, if they were separated for months why was David still residing at HER home when he was thrown out? I hope Jennifer is not lying about the Domestic Violence as this is nothing to take lightly. As my mother used to say “if it don’t come out in the wash, it’ll surely come out in the rinse”. The truth will prevail.
Jennifer wants to make sure she has full custody of their son and drag him around the world with no argument. I can’t believe that kid is 8 y/o already. Time flies.
People sure are quick to pick sides when there’s no way to know all the gory details. This blame the woman mentality is scary.
There is no “blame the woman” here. There is nothing wrong with examining a statement by a woman claiming DV, or stating your opinion on an Internet forum as to the veracity of the statement, or simply speculating about it.
Women have been known to be evil and devious, you know. Not saying that’s the case with Jennifer Hudson at all. Count me out of the “if a woman claims DV or some form of sexual offense, it must be true” crowd.
Don’t put words in my mouth. That’s not what I said. Leaping to unsubstantiated conclusions is my concern.
At the time when her sister was murdered, my office looked out over the west side of Chicago, and we watched those police helicopters flying around all day looking for that poor little nephew of hers. That was probably the most haunting thing I ever saw and it comes to mind every time I see her face. I have a really hard time believing that she would falsely claim abuse after everything she saw her sister go through. I just can’t see it.
She is going to need to reassess some of her priorities if she does not intend to allow him to remain as the primary caregiver. Now without the abuse allegations, I can’t fault her for going out to work and leaving her son behind with his father, so that he could benefit from a stable environment. She has a limited amount of opportunities to earn some serious cash and she took them. Her fiancé certainly didn’t have the same prospects. But if she truly believed her son was in danger, that changes things.
I don’t know what to believe.
I don’t know what to make of this story. Seems each side is plausible. I just take issue with writing off the fact that she would be unable to hold her child. I have a similar build to Jennifer and a 7 year old son. I still carry him to bed if he falls asleep somewhere other than his room. I am strong enough to carry him up to the second floor. He is about 55 lbs and over 4 feet tall. If my husband or anyone else was being aggressive and he was scared I would absolutely pick him up! I know it’s a minor point to the arguement but I just wanted to say that it’s definitely possible.
When she said she was holding her son maybe she meant she was holding the child up, clutching him near her rather than holding the child like a baby. When my dad used to be abusive to my mum we all used to run into the bathroom, lock the door and barricade ourselves in. This went on until I was about 14 so not unusual for a mother to grab her 8 year old. I have noticed Jennifer did put off marrying David and I always wondered why. I hope this all gets rectified and their split can be done with the best interest of their son.
she didn’t say he pushed her while she was hiding in the bathroom with her son. She didn’t say he was aggressive so they were hiding in the bathroom, She said he “pushed her while she was holding her minor child in the master bathroom” period end of explanation.
Seems weird to me.
by “holding him” , I am thinking it may not be that she actually picked him up, but either he was on her lap with her arms around him or he was standing and she was holding him close in that position. Either one is an attempt to be protective of your child.
Exactly my thoughts
David and Jennifer were in court yesterday to get the judge to decide where David Jr. will be spending Thanksgiving. The judge gave David the win and he will be spending Thanksgiving with his son.
They return to court on Monday where David will ask that the protective order be vacated. He is also asking to live in his house while Jennifer is gone for a two week period in a few days.