Rumer Willis Gets Primary Physical Custody of Louetta

Rumer Willis has been granted primary physical custody of her 3-year-old daughter Louetta in her contentious custody fight with Derek Richard Thomas. The court also ordered joint legal custody, monitored parenting time beginning June 20, and next steps includi

Rumer Willis has stepped closer to stability in her ongoing custody battle with Derek Richard Thomas—after a judge ruled in her favor on the most immediate question: where their 3-year-old daughter Louetta will primarily live.

The fight, which followed their 2024 breakup, has been marked by serious, competing allegations from both sides. Rumer has made concerning claims about Thomas, including allegations of domestic violence. She also brought in her mother. Demi Moore. and Moore accused Thomas of throwing tantrums and being “aggressive. ” while also alleging that he did not financially or physically support Rumer or Louetta.

Thomas denied the accusations outright and pushed back with claims of his own. He alleged that Rumer exploited their daughter in sponsored content that included “adult sexual humor” without his permission.

Despite the sharpness of those disputes, the court’s interim decision went to Rumer. Court documents obtained by People on Thursday show that Rumer was granted primary physical custody of Louetta. The parents will share joint legal custody.

Thomas’s parenting time was set to begin every other weekend starting on June 20. Those visits will be monitored by one of Rumer’s nannies, but the arrangement is scheduled to change: monitored visits are set to transition to overnight visitation with no monitoring in August.

The order also lays out what happens next for the pair as the case moves forward. The filing states that both Rumer and Thomas will undergo a custody evaluation. They were also ordered to participate in co-parenting counseling and communicate only through a co-parenting app.

The sequence matters because it locks in both immediate structure and future scrutiny—Thomas receives an organized path back to parenting time. but under conditions that can loosen only after additional steps. including evaluation and counseling. At the same time. the court’s decision on primary physical custody signals that it found Rumer’s case stronger at this stage.

Rumer has not reacted to the ruling publicly, but Thomas has. His attorney, Mike Kretzmer, said in a statement after the decision:

“Mr. Thomas is very pleased with the interim determination by the court on the custody issues. Judge White was properly focused on the issues at hand and carefully weighed the evidence presented. We are pleased that the Court established a custody and visitation order that provides Mr. Thomas with a solid and meaningful opportunity to restore and grow his relationship with his daughter Louetta.”.

Kretzmer added that they plan to continue fighting for Thomas’s position when the case returns to court:

“We look forward to presenting further evidence that Mr. Thomas is a loving, devoted and committed father to Loretta when the court again hears this case. As I previously said, Mr. Thomas will try issues pertaining to the custody of Louetta in court and will not distort matters by trying this case in the press.”.

For now, the interim ruling is a major milestone in the custody case—primary physical custody for Rumer, a stepped parenting-time schedule for Thomas, and a clearly defined set of next steps designed to narrow what the court still has to decide.

Rumer Willis Derek Richard Thomas Louetta custody Demi Moore custody allegations primary physical custody co-parenting app custody evaluation parenting time monitored interim custody order