When news first broke that Jennifer Hudson had split from David Otunga and filed for a restraining order, the world wondered what had happened.
Had he been abusive? Or had, as David Otunga’s defenders suggest, Jennifer Hudson made the move purely to try to secure custody of their 8-year-old.
New details about the grounds on which Jennifer Hudson sought the protective order paint a disturbing picture. And it involves their son.
At the time of the split, Jennifer Hudson’s rep told People:
“They have been in the process of ending their relationship for a number of months.”
So this wasn’t all overnight.
But what prompted the announcement?
“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.”
Protective orders are no laughing matter.
But Otunga’s attorney paints a different picture:
“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.”
Well, that’s about what you’d expect to hear from his lawyer. That’s literally the guy’s job.
“Mr. Otunga looks forward to his day in court and in being awarded the residential care of the parties’ only child.”
It sounds like David Otunga Jr. — the couple’s 8-year-old — can’t look forward to joint family outings or amicable parents.
But if Jennifer Hudson’s allegations are true, maybe that’s for the best.
RadarOnline reports that Jennifer Hudson accused David Otunga of “increasingly aggressive, threatening, and harassing behavior.”
She says that it’s not only been directed towards her, but towards the couple’s son.
Hudson had also accused Otunga of displaying a “bad temper” and going on “aggressive tirades,” displaying unpredictable behavior and even “verbal and physical abuse” during their breakup.
Some people change when you enter a relationship. Others wait to change until things in the relationship go south.
One disturbing (but thankfully nonviolent) incident to which Jennifer Hudson refered took place just a little over a week ago, on November 15th.
Hudson alleges that Otunga enlisted the couple’s 8-year-old son to spy on his mother, out of paranoid fears that Jennifer Hudson has been cheating with her producer.
(Of course, if the couple has been in the process of breaking up for months, it wouldn’t be cheating, now, would it?)
RadarOnline quotes Jennifer Hudson accusing David Otunga of secretly instructing their son “to scan the room with the camera on his iPad in order for David to see who was present at the recording studio with us.”
Hudson was at the Chicago Recording Company.
Jennifer Hudson’s allegations continue:
“David then said, ‘Don’t let your mom’s boyfriend f—ing touch you.”
For the record, Jennifer Hudson says that she’s not dating the producer; the two are friends and colleagues.
Quite frankly, it wouldn’t matter even if Jennifer Hudson were in a sexual relationship with her producer.
Enlisting an 8-year-old boy to spy on his mother is not appropriate under any circumstances.
Otunga’s attorney claims to RadarOnline that Jennifer Hudson is making it all up:
“Jennifer is lying about everything!”
“As far as David catching Jennifer cheating with this producer, he didn’t need to catch her cheating.”
“She has been with another man for several months. My client’s only concern was the fact that Jennifer was keeping her son out late on school nights with her and her boyfriend.”
Otunga’s lawyer has said that Jennifer Hudson is trying to portray him as aggressive, when he counters that Otunga is in fact a Harvard Law graduate.
Some people might make the classist assumption that a lawyer with an Ivy League education can’t also be an abuser. Countless people could tell you otherwise.
It sounds like this couple’s custody disagreement is going to be long and drawn-out.
