Madonna and ex-husband Guy Ritchie continued theirtransatlantic custody battle over their son Rocco in court on Wednesdayafternoon. The dispute began in December after the 15-year-old wasordered by a judge to return Stateside to figure out his living situation. The teen has not returned and has been residing with his father in the U.K. following three months on hismother’s Rebel Heart Tour.
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During Wednesday's court hearing, both Madonna and Guy were not present but called in as the former couple’sattorneys agreed that Rocco will for the time being remain in London, where he is enrolled in school. Rocco's court-appointed attorney said, "In almost every conversation, [Rocco] has stressed to me how stressful [the very public custody battle is]. He is going to school now, which is a great step forward, and the parents should be commended that they were able to reach this decision ... He's enjoying himself there; he's having a good educational experience; the school seems to be a great fit for him."
New York Supreme Court Judge Deborah Kaplan isadamant on not removing the student from his school as the parties agreed he should maintain a "normal" life. “No one is disrupting thishousehold. The child is in school; let us try to allow him to go forward in themost normal way," she said. "We're not forcing the child to leaveschool. His mother isn't asking that."
The judge continued, "Iam happy that time and effort went into the research of finding a school thathe is comfortable with ... [He's] succeeding and liking it. The mother hasn'tasked that the child be removed from school during this period of time while[custody is resolved].”
The New York judge also noted that it’s best to keep Roccoout of the spotlight and to find a custody resolution outside of the courtroom.She said, "I'm encouraging the parents to continue to resolve this matterin the best way possible for the child to take this tremendous pressure offtheir son.”
While a lawyer for Rocco said he "does not want to return to New York," the young boy is not far from his mother's thoughts. Just last week the "Material Girl" singer penned a heartfelt message for her son. Sharing a photo of Rocco at a happier time with a floral garland around his neck she wrote, "I miss this boy so full of life so full of love! I hope we see that Leo Sun soon. The light is blinding!"
Prior to that, the 57-year-old posted a throwback photo of herself with her oldest son. She captioned the mother-son picture, "Tu me manqué," which translated means "I miss you."
Rocco's parents are expected to be in New York City for their next hearing this summer. The pair's hearing is tentatively scheduled for June 1. Guy and Madonna were originally expected in court February 3, but the date was rescheduled to today.
