Jenelle Evans was granted sole custody of her daughter Ensley this week. The Teen Mom star initially filed for custody of the seven-year-old in February after she split up with David Eason. Now, a judge has decided to award Jenelle with sole and legal custody of Ensley after David was declared unfit. Here is what happened.
Judge Rules David Eason To Be Unfit
“The best interest of Ensley would be served for sole physical and legal custody to be awarded to Ms. Eason today, with there to be supervised visitation [held off] unless and until a psychological evaluation [for David] has been completed,” the North Carolina judge told the court.
In addition to being awarded sole custody, the judge made it known that they did not think Jenelle Evans should allow Ensley to visit her dad while he was living on the broken-down boat.
“Based on the evidence and testimony presented here…the defendant [David] does not reside in a place that would be safe and suitable for the minor child,” the judge declared.
The judge went on to say that Jenelle Evans is “physically, mentally and emotionally able to provide consistent active care” for Ensley. However, the Teen Mom star was looking for the court’s permission to have her daughter film for upcoming episodes of The Next Chapter.
Both of Jenelle’s other kids, Jace and Kaiser, have been filming for the MTV show. David Eason has refused to sign off to allow Ensley to be involved. Jenelle mentioned in court that her ex was attempting to use it as leverage against her. He said he’d sign off on Ensley being on the show if he’d be allowed back on the property to gain access to some of his things, like his dirt bike.
“I explained to him that this is in her best interest and that all [my] other kids are being compensated but she’s not,” she explained to the judge. That is no longer a worry for her though. Because her ex hasn’t shown up for any of the court appearances, she’s able to make the decision about whether or not Ensley can film.
Jenelle Evans’ Ex Was On TikTok When He Was Due In Court
David didn’t show up to custody court to fight for his right to see his daughter. Instead, he was on TikTok Live with his new girlfriend Kenleigh Heatwole. The fired Teen Mom 2 dad was doing cartwheels on TikTok and being given tips from his followers.
On top of not showing up for the custody hearing, David hasn’t attempted to contact Jenelle to speak with Ensley since March. Jenelle said that she doesn’t know why he hasn’t reached out to try to see his daughter. He also didn’t provide any money for Ensley’s care in that time. In fact, the Teen Mom star is paying about $1,000 per month to cover David’s rental fee to stay on the boat.
Since David didn’t appear in court, the judge requested that he be informed of everything that happened via email. The next court date for custody and divorce issues is set for October.
