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Legal Top Stories
Karen Elson takes out restraining order against ex-husband Jack White
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 5 August 2013
Divorce proceedings between Jack White and Karen Elson took a downward turn last month, after the latter took out a restraining order against the former White Stripes frontman. It’s all along way from the divorce party the couple held together back in 2011.
Elson gained the order on 22 Jul – which bars her ex from “any contact with [his] wife whatsoever except as it relates to parenting time with the parties’ minor children” – accusing White of harassment. She also separately sought for him to have a custodial psychiatric assessment. White refutes all claims, noting that Elson left their children in his care for ten days after signing the restraining order papers.
According to the Nashville City Paper, Elson’s order states that White has a violent temper and has been sending her harassing text messages and emails “in an inappropriate and aggressive manner” in which he is “pressuring her about the settlement terms for divorce”. She now “fears for her and the children’s safety as a result of this harassment”, says the order.
There are several other examples of White’s alleged unacceptable behaviour listed in the document. These include claims that he contacted the children’s school, asking for them to be taken out of a class which also included the child of another musician who he claimed had “ripped off” his music, and berated Elson for attending the wedding of another musician for the same reason. It is also alleged that White has made derogatory comments about Elson to their business manager.
“This pattern of [the] husband’s bullying [his] wife into submission was a contributing factor in the demise of their marriage”, states the restraining document. Elson’s lawyer Rose Palermo filed the still pending request for White to be taken into custody for a psychiatric assessment two days after securing the order.
Last week, White filed a counter claim against both the restraining order and psychiatric assessment request, according to Rolling Stone. It’s in those papers that he states that the couple’s children came to stay with him for ten days from the day after Elson signed her statement in the restraining order claim, and that the request for a psychiatric evaluation was submitted to the Davidson County Circuit Court the day after this visit began.
The response states: “One who was truly fearful of another would not leave their children alone with that person for ten days. The truth of the matter is that Ms Elson is not fearful for herself or the parties’ minor children”.
White’s statement also notes an email in which Elson apparently praised White as “an amazing father” in May and claims that last month she told a mutual friend that she is still “completely in love” with her ex-husband.
Further, White states that the request for a psychiatric evaluation is “inflammatory … disingenuous, fraudulent and retaliatory and simply designed to malign him in the public record or to gain an upper hand in this litigation”.
Previously the pair had been amicably co-parenting their two children. However, according to Rolling Stone, the catalyst for the current dispute relates to a falling out after Elson took the children abroad for ten days longer than White had given written consent for. A hearing relating to this is scheduled for 29 Aug.
