Jacqueline Newman, managing partner of Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein LLP, was interviewed last week by Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on the popular iTV morning show Good Morning Britain. The topic: the messy and extremely public child custody fight now being waged between Madonna and ex-husband Guy Ritchie over their child Rocco, who currently resides in London.
Video of the interview can be viewed below and on [YouTube]. Since this interview’s airing, Jacqueline’s prediction on the case has been proven correct. Last Thursday, the Manhattan judge assigned to the case held that Rocco should not be forced to return to New York at this time, as his mother had requested. While Rocco has been personally opposed to visiting New York, according to his lawyer, the judge cited her primary reason to allow Rocco to remain in London as his schooling, which he, she ruled, should be able to continue without interruption.
The dispute will now be worked out between Ritchie, Madonna, and Rocco in negotiations, although it also appears that Madonna has now pursued a separate action in the English court system. Check back for updates on how this ultimately resolves, as well as a primer on the legal issues surrounding custody of an older child.