Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme and his ex-wife Brody Dalle faced off in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday as Dalle, founder of the punk band The Distillers, pleaded not guilty to contempt in their turbulent child custody battle.
Homme, 48, has accused Dalle, 42, of violating their October 2020 custody agreement by not allowing him to see their kids since August 26th. He says her actions are “alienating” him from the children, and he wants her to face fines and either community service or jail time. For her part, Dalle has accused Homme of domestic violence, verbal harassment, and being a danger to all three of their kids.
The judge handling the case said he was leaning toward appointing around-the-clock monitoring in each parent’s home to evaluate the situation, starting on Friday, October 15th, when Homme is due to resume his custodial time with the couple’s two sons, ages 10 and 5. (They also have a 15-year-old daughter.)
“It is my intention to order professional monitors in both homes during the parents’ custodial times,” Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff said before setting a follow-up hearing for Friday morning.
Dalle previously filed restraining order petitions on behalf of the boys. They were not granted on an emergency basis but set for future hearings.
“Her pleadings speak for themselves in the sense that she’s expressed how the children feel,” Dalle’s lawyer Doreen Olson said after the hearing. “We just want the children to be healthy. We want the children to be helped.”
“That’s all I’m asking for, that my kids are safe. We have to protect kids. We should always protect kids,” Dalle told Rolling Stone as she left the courthouse.
A few minutes after Dalle departed, Homme gave a brief statement as well, his eyes wet with tears. “The hardest job in the world is to be a mom, but dads are important too. I’d wade through anything for my kids, even this,” he said.
The couple’s daughter was previously granted a restraining order barring her father from contacting her.