After a very long, very nasty custody case, the judge in Kathryn Dennis and Thomas Ravenel’s custody hearing has made a ruling. Well sort of. This all started when Kathryn went to court asking for full custody of Kensie and Saint after Thomas was arrested for sexually assaulting their nanny last year. Since then, Thomas has made dozens of horrific allegations against Kathryn and demanding he receive full custody and asking that her visitation be supervised.
The judge had now ruled that they will share joint custody just as they currently have. Thomas will be the primary legal custodian. Kathryn’s time with the children will not have to be supervised as Thomas had asked for. There was no order for child support made. There will be a future hearing to deal with the custody issues.
Kathryn Dennis Can Demand Alcohol Testing on Thomas
There are a few new requirements on the two. They were ordered to peacefully co-parent and consult each other on the children’s health, education, and general welfare. To insure that happens they will both have to attend a minimum of three co-parenting sessions with a counselor. Kathryn also agreed to cognitive behavior therapy, which I believe she was already doing.
Neither party will be permitted to drink or abuse prescription drugs when they have the children. In addition, neither will any individual with whom he/she is romantically involved when they are around the kids. Also, both parents are also not allowed to have their romantic partners spend the night when they have custody of the children. They are also not to allow the kids to refer to any romantic partner as mom or dad. They are both prohibited from speaking negatively about the other parent when the children are present or on social media. This has been in place since the beginning but that doesn’t seem to stop Thomas.
To insure the drinking does not happen, both Kathryn and Thomas are allowed to request the other be tested for drinking while they have custody of the kids. I wonder why it is just alcohol and not drugs. Thomas would totally fail a coke test on more days than not, allegedly.
So basically, the lawyers made a shit ton of money. Nothing of any real import changed. Kathryn Dennis’ bank account suffered the most.
The Blast was the first site to report on this story.
Hmm too bad they can’t test Thomas for Mushrooms 😉
I know right? Money talks volumes. Clearly shes made so many positive changes and should be proud. But it doesnt matter because the slime ball has lots of money.
After all that, South Carolina will still allow Thomas joint custody? Were Kathryn’s lawyers unable to admit some of the evidence that you’ve covered here, or did the judge just not care?
Damn, this sucks. I feel for Kathryn and the kids.
He should not have custody of an animal let alone children. And I can be sure he is not even spending quality time with the kids when he has them. He probably had nanny’s unlike Katherine.
I hope he rots in jail for the rapes he committed but sounds like his name and money can get him out of everything.
Sad for the kids
When I worked for the SC Dept of Corrections, the only pee test out there tested for alcohol and drugs. I can’t imagine they would make a test that only screens for booze so by default it would also be a drug test.
Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.
Stupid judge.
The party that submits the blood or urine sample can request what to test for. The more things, more money. They can test for opioids or specific opioids — e.g. pain clinics want to ensure clients are taking only the prescribed opioids, so the tests can show everything from codeine to heroin to fetanyl.
Yes, absolutely!
Correct, However if the Judge only ordered testing for Alcohol, the other party can’t check for anything other than that. If other tests were done, and results reflect use of something other than alcohol, it would not be admissible if not included in Judges Order, I.M.O.
A reputable lab tests only what the court order states — for legal and financial reasons. If some good ole boy slipped a tech some money under the table, the pee or blood could be tested for anything, but not allowed in court. But things like that never happen in the Ravenel Bridgeland, now do they…
It’s the South so the good old boys can get by with anything they want even if it’s rape If you have a enough money like Thomas has you can get by pretty much anything.Look what he has done to the mother of his children.He is poor excuse for a man. Is he was a part of my family I would be ashamed of him. I wouldn’t claim him and I definitely wouldn’t claim him as my father if he was my father. And the best thing that Catherine ever did what’s to get rid of him.
When I saw this post, I held my breath while I read it. I personally hate that he even has the kids unsupervised, not that I think that was a possibility or that she even asked for it. I know Katherine has had issues, but he’s an alleged coke head w/a dangerous temper, seems to have alcohol issues, and thinks he’s above rules, laws or courts. I hope she will enforce the alcohol testing on him. Thanks for the update!!!
It seems he is above the law
I can’t wait till he goes to jail for his pending sex assault charges!!!!!
That day is starting to look unlikely. ? Maybe after Pappy Ravenel dies, sonny boy will get his comeuppance. Seems Pappy knows were lots of bodies are buried.
I agree ?%. Very well stated. Thomas is the one who needs supervision when he has the Children.
I was really hoping she’d get sole custody, but I figured the Ravenel name would prevail. I knew she was asking for sole custody, but couldn’t remember what kind of visitation she was requesting for Thomas to have.
if Katherine would of acted like him her rights would of been taken away? why aren ‘t his?? he deserves nothing I think they should go back after his trial is over and he is guilty. he looks at woman like a piece of meat. ??
SC is so corrupt, there is no way he should hsve any custody moving forward he had dragged Kathryn through the mud…. Hopefully he gets jail time and loses them. Piece of Garbage
Thomas you look like manure straighten your life or and make your kids proud of their parents NOT judge based on tabliods
Never have watched this show, and I don’t know much about the couple, but Ive been following this story because of TT.
Why would Thomas be the legal custodian? No alimony for Kathryn!???
Alimony is not in question because they were never married. The child support hearing is forthcoming.
Ah someone pointed out I said divorce case instead of custody case. Lord knows we have so many of each on the misogyny channel.
Thank you for the update, TT. Hopefully he’ll back off now and allow Kathryn to parent in peace. I realize she initiated the latest custody case in light of his pending court case, but Thomas’s scorched earth style retaliatory response was ultimately harmful for the kids.
I wonder how much each of them spent all told in legal fees and other associated costs. I’m sure it would be more money than many of us could make in a lifetime of working.
Absolutely disgusting and shameful! Being an optimist sucks. How in the hell can someone who’s been jailed multiple times, served time in prison for cocaine distribution, been accused of rape and sexual harassment, has severely intoxicated and aggressive behavior documented on television, etc, etc, etc, “coparent in a healthy manner”? Fucks sake!! This sack of shit shouldn’t even be wasting oxygen let alone pretending to be father of the year. I love the south for its beauty, charm, beaches, and food but I hate it because the good ole boys always win. No matter the circumstances.
This is so disgusting. Sad because he has money and friends in high places he has no consequences. He was arrested on sexual assult chargers and she lost custody for smoking pot. Unreal!
I’m assuming things will change if he’s ever convicted for the other matters. Being a registered sex offender tends to have an impact on access to children, but I won’t hold my breath for the conviction. Under your legal system what would be the consequences of failing to meet any of the conditions of custody, eg testing positive for alcohol or making negative comments about the other parent on social media?
If this jerk doesn’t turn his life around soon he looks like he might not even live long enough for criminal charges to catch up to him!!! Oh well the worlds a better place with one less rapist scum bag in it anyway!
Jasper, If one party is suspected of violating this agreement, then the other party would have grounds to file a motion in court for a new hearing. Then if a judge finds evidence indicating the person has violated the agreement, he/she can issue an order for modification of the original agreement, and perhaps order the offending party to seek counseling or treatment if appropriate.
Cliff’s Notes version: they would go back to court, and if the person is found to have violated the terms, then a judge can modify custody. But they wouldn’t go to jail for having a drink or discussing the other party in social media or anything, because it’s only a civil court agreement.
I think this is their preliminary order
Yes, but even a preliminary order would have the same end-result consequences. A judge would order a modification of terms upon hearing evidence and finding that one party failed to uphold the terms.
Beautiful picture. Biblical beautiful.
I will never get sick of that pic.
So Thomas is not going to be punished for his deeds. Of course! Only the rich.
In Kathryn’s words, “Disgusting, just disgusting.”
So…has his case on the sexual abuse gone to court or finalized.
Will she be given ful custody if that predator goes to jail..as I think he should..Why did she not order his criminal arse to take drug. & alcohol testing before..Did the other judge tell him ( during this investigation to NOT. or STAY away from ANY & all alcohol. & drugs..IF not I would demanded screening until he was proven GUILTY or not..Thought by June he had to choose his poison. Now he needs to leave Kathryn alone.
I do worry about those children with Ravenel, but I am comforted in the fact that he is probably not around the children that much. Didn’t he have the kids living in the house behind his perfectly decorated home? I think nannies and babysitters and perhaps some of his family members watch the children when they are supposed to be in his care.
Congratulations to the children and to Kathryn for this tiny step forward. <3
I had hoped that Charleston Judges could do the right thing on this, but it SO smacks of TR and Pops calling in some favors. Sad, and the judges involved should ne ashamed!
As to testing, I’ve never known alcohol to be tested by anything other than breathalyzer &/or blood.
This also makes the judge look bad. Its obvious Thomas’ family is pulling strings/favors. I’m soo glad Katherine has moved on from Thomas. He is trash! Katherine you deserve soo much better. Continue to move forward! Thomas is a loser with a big SC family name. These children are better off spending the least amount of time with their father.
The author really hit the nail on the head… and the judge basically told the to act like adults… sad they couldn’t do that on their own
I’ll never get tired of the whore sweating in church photo. What a scumbag he is. This whole case is sad. As per usual, the lawyers make a bunch of money and nothing much changes. I hope she can get some peace finally after all that she’s been through. It must just eat him up that she’s still young and thriving as he declines further into his old age as has been. I’m proud that the public put him in his place after he posted that tasteless photo on social media right after her mother passed. It’s always gratifying when the public does the disciplining, and he has to delete his Twitter just like Shep. BYE Thomas, Ashley, Shep and the rest of ya’s!!!
Can’t they move this case to California if Katheryn takes up residence there. this is bull shit. Take about prejudicial against Katheryn. One sided. Fucking me-devil.
They likely already have a “moving out of state” provision in their custody agreement. She would need to first notify the court WELL in advance if any potential move so that a judge can approve a custodial change. If she moves without going through the courts first, she could jeopardize her custodial rights- she couldn’t just take the kids with her otherwise. A judge would need to determine if the out of state arrangement is in the best interests of the kids, and if so, they would alter the custody arrangement to allow for visitation with both parents (summers and Christmas holiday with one parent, for example).
Plus, because of UCCJEA, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act that is recognized in every US state, the jurisdiction for a custody case is determined by a child’s “home” state, which is considered to be where a child has lived for the past 6 months. So unless custody changes otherwise (if Thomas goes to jail, for example), any case would most likely be decided in SC, unfortunately.
Moving jurisdictions is hard. I know in VA if your original order is out of SC or NC they keep it heard in those states. My friend whose original order is from VA moved to NY and everything is still filed in VA, it can not be moves to NY.
Your friend’s move falls under the provisions in the UCCJEA (because it’s recognized as the standard in all states). And one of the ways that makes it even harder is typically built right in to an existing custody order. If someone has a halfway competent attorney, then custody would limit any visitation periods to <than 6 consecutive months with one parent, so that it would be nearly impossible to change jurisdiction, except in cases of emergency. So any visitation during a six month period away from that state would essentially reset the clock, in other words.
So that be the reason for your friend’s issues, since neither N.C. or SC (and I live in NC, FWIW) has a special lockdown on jurisdiction under the UCCJEA. It’s the same standard in every state, though interpretation of the UCCJEA may be slightly different from state to state. Also, the state that exercised the jurisdiction and entered a child custody order maintains continued exclusive jurisdiction over that child unless the child and the parent(s) no longer resides in that state, except in emergency situations. So unless BOTH custodial parties move from a state, the original jurisdiction stands for the remainder of the child’s custodial agreement. So unless your friend’s co-parent also moves out of the original state exercising jurisdiction, then the jurisdiction will remain in VA. I hope that makes sense, anyway!
Disclaimer: I’m not an attorney, but I previously worked as a paralegal for an attorney specializing in family law in NC, and this is the way it was explained to me, and the way we explained these laws to his clients.
Well can’t say I’m surprised at this outcome. Normally I would think that joint custody would at least give KCD some peace. But the fact that he was named the primary custodial parent pretty much means that he won’t be required to pay child support. I hope and pray that he doesn’t sink so low as to request support from her. But I wouldn’t put it past the bastard.
I hope she is okay dealing with all this stuff right after losing her mom. But at least she does have the joint custody order and hopefully can just focus on the kids.
Once again money talks in the courtroom. The one thing she really has on her side is her youth. I hope she exercises patience because in time the old dog will fuck up again or die because he’s too old to change his lifestyle. She might not win the battle but I feel sure when all is said and done she will win the war.
Sending prayers and hugs to Kathryn and her beautiful babies!
The old fart isnt fit to have any kind of time with the kids alone .I hope he can keep his hands of his d
If Thomas goes to jail (doubtful I know) that’s when she needs to go in to modify the order. Honesty this did come as a surprise to me. I think the same thing will happen in Betheny’s case too.
I agree. I think maybe Kathryn timed this wrong. And yes — if he goes to jail is a big if!
None of this surprises me……This man could shoot someone on King Street and get away with it! He is a miserable excuse for a human and that pic sums him up to a T (T)!! Godspeed KD!
Stories like these make me glad that I never got married or had kids with any of the guys it hasn’t worked out with so far. I know not all co-parenting stories are nightmares, but the ones that are make me happy to just have my dogs for right now.
He’s a piece of shit and I don’t think he even wants to have the kids part time, but if it makes Kathryn suffer and he can pay her less child support then it probably makes him happy.
Thomas is untouchable in SC courtrooms. The levels he sunk to in this case were despicable and according to OTHER MDs unethical. Much of what he did was simply to humiliate her. He’s not going to jail either, and Nanny Dawn is resigned to that fact. They kept lowering the charge to include the punishment being fined and probation if guilty.
I’m happy for Kathryn that this is over. I was concerned about how much more she could take after her moms death. I don’t know that it will ever be over for her. Best of luck to her and the kids!
I think that he should pay something to Kathryn him being the primary parent because those children should be able to be kept a custom to the way they will live with their father while they are with their mother. It’s only fair!! Enough said like the story said Kathryn ‘s bank account got hit the hardest and she deserves something. Money can’t buy the type of love she has for her children one on one time is priceless Thomas can’t say the same unfortunately.
All I can say is wait for the karma Kathryn it’s going to bite him in the ass. When you lie eventually you pay.
Good luck to you K and your children, live,laugh,& love.????
I agree. But Kathryn needs to stop blowing through her money. While the South of Broad and the car were pure storyline, she is wasting all her SC money on clothes that she is now trying to sell. She needs a money manager because she sucks at finances.
TT, do we know if she was deducting any of her clothing or glam squad spending as business expenses? Just wondering if you noticed anything in the financials that were released.
When the stories of her spending were first reported, I assumed that most of the legitimate excessive spending (not the fictitious stuff like the Rolls or the rental) was from clothing and styling that was required and related to her social media influencing or other work-related endeavors, so it could technically qualify for deduction. It’s common practice these days for social media influencers to deduct clothing and makeup/hairstyling if needed to produce a video, or related to a promotional photo shoot.
Apparently I can’t deduct my occasional Goodwill hauls or my standard uniform of ratty sweats and T-shirts though because no one is paying me for anything these days.
EDIT to add that clothing deductions are limited to clothing that is required but that wouldn’t be considered appropriate for everyday wear. And with Kathryn, I’m not exactly sure what she wouldn’t consider appropriate for every day wear. Every day seems like her own personal Met Gala red carpet.
I wonder if any of the clothes are loaned to her. She isn’t positioned to get things from top-level designers, but more local designers might loan her some. Or to promote Gwinny’s, maybe she gets to borrow those and the store writes it off as promotional. But in either case, there usually is a stylist involved and her style is so hit or miss that I don’t see a pro stylist there.
I bet you’re right about the borrowed clothing and accessories, particularly if she’s promoting Gwynn’s or repping certain companies. And her styling is sometimes very “editorial,” (is that a diplomatic way of saying it?), which could work so much better for her if executed with more precision… so yeah, I don’t thing her usual stylist would be considered a pro in the industry. 😉
Now that Thomas has to test, I wonder if it will change from a blood test to a pee test. I hope so, but only for Kathryn’s sake. I wish he would get mercilessly poked like he made her do. There is no reason for a blood test — urine tests are just as accurate nowadays. The only thing bad is that you can cheat a pee test more easily. TRav may pay the attendant to look away…
He is disgusting and some people should never breed.
T-thanks for the (gulp) update!! Reminds me of my divorce!! He threatened me, and I gave him anything he wanted. After 20 years together we had almost a million dollars in assets. I bought a house, my business went belly up in 2011 and when I got my Social Security info, realized “our” business was a sole proprietorship in his name. No SS pay in for me. I went for a small loan first time I applied for any type of loan in 8 years, was told my credit score was great, but debt to income ratio all off. My name is on both the mortgage and warranty deed. After my daughter gets married in 2 weeks, I’m taking him to court for fiduciary injury. Thank God things are great between my 3 children and I although he tried to screw that up too.
Hope you can enjoy your daughter’s wedding and get a nice settlement afterward! TRav reminds me of my ex, as well (family money, abusive, vindictive with serious anger issues) and it’s hard watching this unfold, knowing the type of man Kathryn is dealing with. FWIW, I think any man who tries to come between kids and their mother is a scumbag, even without all the financial and emotional stress he’s put you through. Hopefully they can see through it… most kids do, at some point. Good luck!
I really wonder about family court judges. I have a neighbor whose ex-husband murdered his parents and is doing 25 years. The court still would not give her full custody and she had to fight for years to stop the once a month visits they awarded to the murdered while he sits in jail. How can anybody think a man capable of murdering his parents is safe for his kids and behind bars should have some say in their lives? He was behind bars before the youngest was even born!
IF I have read right this is a temporary order and not the final. I suspect both will be back to fighting and sharing dirt on each other.