Atlanta Housewife Fighting for Custody
The AJC is reporting Real Housewives of Atlanta star Lisa Wu Hartwell is asking the court to reconsider the custody arrangement she has with her former husband, R&B star Keith Sweat. Fans of the show may be surprised to hear Wu Hartwell has two other children (since they were never shown or mentioned on the hit show), but Wu Hartwell recently stated Sweat did not consent to the children appearing on camera. It is also unknown if there are any issues with the children or their living arrangements that would cause the court to change the custody of the children.
The AJC reports, “In 2003, Sweat received primary custody of the children. According to the final divorce decree at the time written by Fulton Superior Court judge Cynthia D. Wright, Sweat and Wu Hartwell married in 1992 and had what the judge termed at the time an “extremely tumultuous relationship.” Judge Wright wrote that “there is evidence that Father has been violent towards Mother, but no evidence he has ever been violent with any of his children.” The judge felt the children at the time “lacked structure in their lives, due in substantial part to Mother’s numerous business ventures and frequent trips out of town… Mother has a history of spending money on herself excessively rather than providing for the children… There was some evidence at trial that Mother implicitly participated in robbing Father in the presence of the children. She also took money from Father prior to the initiation of this matter. This behavior causes the Court to question Mother’s maturity and judgment.”
Also, in an recent public appearance, the AJC reports a fan asked Wu Hartwell why she responded so violently to Kim, one of the other Housewives. Hartwell stated, “She did things two days regarding me and my children. It kind of makes it seem like I went off saying something else. She said some things.” [Kim was saying Lisa lost custody of her kids to Keith Sweat because of drugs. She denied that.]”
Wu Hartwell is now married to a former NFL player and owns a business. The two also have one child.
It used to be that in Georgia, once a child reached the age of fourteen (the age of Hartwell and Sweat’s oldest child), they could simply sign an affidavit electing to live with the other parent, and it was pretty much a done deal. Georgia law has recently changed however, so that now although a child who has reached the age of fourteen can still select the parent they want to live with, it also has to be determined that the selection is in the best interests of the child. It will be interesting to see how the judge reacts to the possibility that if Wu Hartwell is given custody, the children could be exposed to a national television audience. Is that in the best interest of the children?