A nasty custody battle is currently happening over Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler. The “Dance Moms” alumni are caught between their parents as they both throw accusations at each other.

Custody battle over Maddie and Mackenzie

The Ziegler sisters are caught in a nasty custody battle between their parents. Inside information obtained by Radar Online reveals that Melissa Gisoni and Kurt Ziegler often engaged in heated discussions. These arguments were quite a bit worse when the cameras weren't rolling. The obtained papers from the Court of Common Pleas of Westmoreland County state that Gisoni filed for divorce from Kurt on December 7, 2010.

This comes after eight years of marriage.

A settlement agreement was then filed on June 15, 2011, with both parties agreeing to share custody of the “Dance Moms” stars and their siblings. However, Gisoni maintains primary physical custody of the two minor kids. Ziegler, on the other hand, gets partial physical custody.

The agreement orders Ziegler to pick up the children from dance classes on Monday evenings. He is then compelled to bring the kids to school every Tuesday morning. On Wednesdays, Ziegler needs to pick them up from school, dropping them off on Thursday morning. Maddie and Mackenzie also spend time with their dad every other weekend. However, Gisoni filed a new petition earlier this year.

Melissa Gisoni as the best parent

On February 2, 2017, Gisoni filed for primary physical and sole legal custody of the children. In the petition forwarded to the court, Gisoni’s camp noted her role to the children for the past six years. From the time they divorced, she became the sole financial support of the children. More importantly, she stood as the main caregiver of the children for most of their life.

Overall, the petition described Gisoni as the fitting parent in performing all the parental duties for the children.

Gisoni's camp also pointed out Ziegler's inability to perform his parental duties. Ziegler is said to be suffering from mental health issues, which hinders him to properly care for the kids. That being said, Gisoni is asking the court for primary and sole legal custody of the children.

Kurt Ziegler retaliates

Ziegler countered the petition for sole custody, asking the court to grant shared physical and shared legal custody. He was quick to point out that shared custody is in the best interest of the children. He accused Gisoni of disregarding his role as the father of the kids. He revealed that Gisoni failed to follow through the current terms of their agreement. She deliberately downplayed his role to the kids, ignoring what's best for all of them.

However, Gisoni was granted sole legal and primary physical custody to Maddie and Mackenzie on June 12, 2017. Currently, Maddie lives with her mom and step father, who is like a best friend to her. Watch one of Maddie Ziegler's solo performance in the video below!
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