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Josh Homme called as a witness at Brody Dalle contempt trial amid ongoing custody battle

By Staff Contributor
josh-homme-brody-dalle

Dalle is in court facing contemp charges for apparently not allowing Homme access to their children.

Josh Homme has testified as part of ex-wife Brody Dalle‘s ongoing criminal contempt trial, as the custody battle over the pair’s two sons rages on.

According to the NME the Queens Of The Stone Age frontman was called as a witness to the trial, which began last Friday (October 29), following his accusation that The Distillers frontwoman violated an equal custody agreement made in October last year.

When questioned during the trial by his lawyer Glen Jonas, Homme reportedly spoke fondly of the time he spent with his sons earlier this year: “They’re my sons. I take them places. We play. I take them to the hardware store, go surfing, go to the beach. We make dinner together. It’s been good.”

Brody Dalle and Josh Homes
Josh and Brody in happier times

Homme claimed that Dalle did not let him see their sons, who are aged 5 and 10, on August 27 or September 3, despite court orders allowing him to do so. Dalle previously pled not guilty to the contempt charge and denied Homme’s allegations, with her lawyers reportedly claiming last Friday that she had tried to convince the elder son to visit Homme on September 3, but he refused.

In September, Dalle filed a restraining order against Homme on behalf of their sons. The application has been denied by the court multiple times, the latest occasion being on Friday, on the grounds that she sought the orders without proper court authorisation.

Brody Dalle performs at Shaky Knees Music Festival, May 5, 2018 Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Scott Legato
Brody Dalle performs at Shaky Knees Music Festival, May 5, 2018 Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Scott Legato

Last month, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff reportedly said that he wasn’t willing to allow Homme and Dalle’s children to testify until Dalle’s legal team had laid more of a foundation in the trial, saying he doesn’t want to “put these kids on [the stand] on these very volatile, difficult topics to find out that none of it has any legal relevance”.

“I’m not going to permit questions as to why the kids did not want to see their father until there is some evidence in the record that they did not want to see their father, and mother tried to comply with the order,” Judge Riff reportedly said. “This is not a custody hearing. This is not a restraining order hearing. This is a contempt hearing,” he added.

At the end of September, the couple’s daughter had her restraining order against Homme extended until at least November. Homme is required to keep a distance of at least 100 yards between himself and his daughter, and will not be allowed to make any contact with her.

If you have been affected by domestic violence you can contact:

In the UK, National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247

In the USA, National Domestic Violence Hotline 1800 799 7233

In Australia, National Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Service 1800 737 732

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