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Halle Berry Sues Ex Over Daughter's Hair

By Daniel Taylor, Esq. on November 26, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Actress Halle Berry took her ex to court Monday, alleging that he had straightened and highlighted their 6-year-old daughter's hair, making her appear more white.

Berry and former boyfriend Gabriel Aubry have joint custody of daughter Nahla. But according to TMZ, Berry sent her lawyers to court to request a judge forbid Aubry from altering the girl's naturally curly hair.

Ultimately, the judge ruled that neither Berry nor Aubry could change the girl's hair from its natural color, in the latest court battle between these former lovebirds-turned-litigants.

Custody Battle Didn't Start With Hair

Berry and Aubry have been embroiled in a custody dispute since shortly after Nahla was born. In most states, when a child is born to an unmarried couple, the mother is awarded custody unless the father takes court action to request custody.

In 2011, Aubry agreed to drop his lawsuit seeking joint custody and support payments from Berry, allowing Berry to take the couple's daughter to New York to film a movie. However, the couple was back in court in 2012 when Berry petitioned the court to allow her to move Nahla to France in order to escape increasing scrutiny by paparazzi photographers.

Generally a court may allow a parent to relocate a child if both parents agree to the move, or one parent can show that the relocation is in the best interest of the child. The child's best interests often trump each parent's concerns in custody cases, which is probably why the judge told Nahla's parents to leave her hair alone.

Fight With Fiance

In this case, however, the court denied Berry's request to relocate, after Aubry argued that the move was an attempt to distance him from the couple's daughter. Shortly thereafter, Aubry was involved in a physical confrontation with Berry's then-fiance, Oliver Martinez, at Berry's home after dropping off his daughter.

Following the skirmish, both sides secured protective orders against one another before working it out. But the two weren't done: earlier this year, Berry was ordered by a judge to pay Aubry almost $200,000 a year in child support, as well as retroactive support in the amount of $115,000 and $300,000 in attorney's fees.

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