EXCLUSIVE: Thomas Ravenel Awarded Permanent Sole Custody In Legal Battle With Kathryn Dennis
EXCLUSIVE: Thomas Ravenel Awarded Permanent Sole Custody In Legal Battle With Kathryn Dennis
The Charleston County Family Court has ruled in Thomas Ravenel’s favor — awarding the South Carolina native permanent sole custody of the two kids he shares with ex, Kathryn Dennis.
The former couple’s lengthy custody battle finally came to an end on January 17, 2023 after Judge Daniel E. Martin, Jr. ruled in Thomas Ravenel’s favor.
Following an extensive analysis and assessment of conclusive evidence presented in the case, it became apparent that Thomas Ravenel was the more fit parent to care the children.
Permanent Sole Custody
Thomas Ravenel and the editor of AllAboutTheTea.com recently chatted in South Carolina about the resolution of his protracted custody battle:
“I was awarded sole custody.” Thomas Ravenel, 60, exclusively told the editor of AllAboutTheTea.com. “I make all the parenting decisions. Kathryn [Dennis] has the right to supervised visitation by an approved supervisor [approved by the court] between the hours of 9:00am — 7:00pm, every other weekend.”
“She’s not allowed to have overnights with the children. I will transport the children to a halfway point between Aiken and Charleston where Kathryn will pick them up.” Thomas added.
The Charleston businessman added:
“I am beyond grateful for the outcome of this custody battle and for being granted sole custody of my children. Family is the most important thing in my life, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that my kids have a happy and stable future. This has been a challenging journey, but with the support of my loved ones and legal team, justice prevailed.”
Thomas lives in Aiken, while Kathryn resides in Charleston, which is more than two hours away.
According to South Carolina law (S.C. Code Ann. § 63-15-210), there are two types of custody arrangements: “joint custody,” and “sole custody.” Joint custody means both parents have equal rights and responsibilities for major decisions concerning the child. Sole custody means, only one parent has the right and responsibilities for major decisions concerning the child.
Custody Timeline
2016: Kathryn Dennis lost full custody of her children and entered rehab after testing positive for marijuana, cocaine and opiates. Family court awarded Thomas temporary full custody at the time.
2018: Kathryn filed a motion seeking primary custody of the kids after Thomas was charged with assault by his children’s former nanny, Dawn Ledwell. Thomas plead guilty to a lesser charge after Ledwell’s story changed during court proceedings. He was sentenced to 30-day sentence that was suspended to a $500 fine and probation in lieu of jail time.
2019: Thomas was awarded primary legal custody of their kids, while the ex-couple shared joint custody. They agreed to share physical custody of the children on a 36/64 split. Kathryn was given a visitation schedule and ordered to hire a full-time nanny.
2020: Despite coming to a joint custody agreement in 2019, Thomas was compelled to file an emergency motion for sole custody after a series of disturbing events occurred while the couple’s children — Kensington Calhoun Ravenel and St. Julien Rembert Ravenel were in the care of Kathryn. Court documents detail allegations of drug use and negligent parenting by the mother.
2021: Kathryn loss joint custody of the children. A South Carolina judge ruled that Kathryn would be restricted to supervised visitation (by a court approved supervisor) every other weekend, and Thomas was awarded temporary primary legal custody. He permanently relocated to Aiken, South Carolina with the couple’s children in the summer of 2021.
2022: Kathryn’s legal team, attorneys Susan Rawls Strom and Pete Currence, fired her as a client over lack of communication and non-payment. The legal motion filed with the court reads: “Grounds for the motion are that counsel and defendant can no longer communicate, and can not agree on matters of importance to the case, and the attorney-client relationship is irretrievably impaired so much that undersigned can not effectively represent defendant.”
2023: Thomas was awarded permanent sole custody, which grants him full decision-making authority over the children, which means he has the power to make important decisions regarding the minor kids, including decisions regarding the children’s education, religious training, health care, extracurricular activities, and travel. Additionally, no overnights and only supervised visitation, every other weekend during the hours of 9:00am — 7:00pm. Kathryn is responsible for paying the supervisor, who must be selected from an approved list provided by the guardian ad litem, Elizabeth Stringer — a rate of $35+ an hour for their services.
Why Kathryn Lost Custody
Kathryn Dennis’ drug use, negligent parenting and a series of reckless actions that placed her minor children in danger were the main reasons that the former Southern Charm star lost custody.
Court documents revealed that Kathryn Dennis abuses drugs, alcohol, and suffers from a multitude of mental health disorders. She’s “addicted to prescription medications, marijuana, alcohol, shopping and sex.”
Back in 2020, while the couple’s then 4-year-old, son, Saint, was in the mother’s care for a visit — a neighbor witnessed the child wandering in traffic. The first time, the neighbor escorted the child back to his mother’s home but after it happened a second time (in the same day), the bystander called the police.
According to the police report, “When the bystander arrived, Kathryn’s father was asleep on the sofa (Kensie and Kathryn were not there). After being escorted home, Saint snuck out of the house a second time. That’s when the bystander called the police.”
Footage of Kathryn leaving the children alone at her home on multiple occasions was presented to the court.
Another alarming situation involved Kathryn giving her daughter, Kensie, 8, an old phone that contained pornographic material of her mother performing sexual acts on various men.
“An old phone your client gave Kensie which contained obscene material, including pornographic photos and videos of your client – her mother. We are not sure how much of this material Kensie accessed before Mr. Ravenel was able to intervene and take the phone.” The court document stated.
Kathryn Fired
As reported, Kathryn was fired from Southern Charm, after 8 seasons. A rock solid source tells AllAboutTheTea.com exclusively:
“Kathryn accused her ex-boyfriend, Chleb Ravenell, of physically assaulting her, and the allegation caused a firestorm for production. Kathryn told producers that Chleb punched her in the face during a heated argument, which resulted in a black-eye and swollen jaw. Bravo conducted an investigation and at the conclusion of their investigation Chleb was fired from Southern Charm. Later, Kathryn was also fired because of the legal liability the allegations posed. They can’t really prove Chleb assaulted her, and her injuries could stem from fillers and Botox.”
Season 9 of Southern Charm is currently filming, expected to air later this year.
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