Fantastic Four star, Ioan Gruffudd has won a major court victory against his ex-wife Alice Evans in their bitter custody battle of their two young daughters.
The couple is in a legal wrangle over 13-year-old Ella and her nine-year-old sister Elsie.
Now, A Los Angeles judge has granted the Welsh actor’s request for the appointment of a child psychiatrist to referee the warring couple’s increasingly hostile battles over Ella, 13, and Elsie, nine.
Evans, 55, had vehemently opposed appointing a ‘child custody evaluator,’ saying it wasn’t necessary, claiming that Gruffudd, 49, hasn’t seen or called the girls for almost three months and denying his accusations that she’s ‘abusing’ their daughters, causing them ‘serious emotional harm.’
But after a hearing on Thursday, LA Superior Court Judge Josh Freeman Stinn issued a brief order saying, ‘The petitioner’s (Gruffudd) request for the appointment of a child custody evaluator is granted.’
The judge’s ruling came after Gruffudd filed a new 34-page written document in which he blasted Evans, accusing her of calling daughter Ella a ‘f—ing bitch’ and telling the teen she ‘would be getting a new father soon.’
Evans’ latest statements opposing the evaluator and criticizing her ex, are ‘false or grossly misleading,’ said Gruffudd in his new declaration to the court.
‘Circumstances with our daughters Ella and Elsie, and my relationship with them are not as Alice describes.
‘Alice has stated in her own words in multiple postings on social media that I have been trying to get at least 50/50 custody of Ella and Elsie and that she does not want this and/or is actively working to prevent it.
‘I believe it is imperative that a specific evaluator be appointed at the hearing on August 17 in order to avoid further and potentially significant delays in getting this important process started.’
It comes after Ioan, 49, accused Alice of “child abuse” after their 13-year-old daughter Ella filed a restraining order.
In Los Angeles court documents seen by the Mail, Ioan, 49, said: “Alice has continued to inflict serious emotional harm on Ella and Elsie by her statements and by interfering in my relationship with them.
“Alice has verbally abused and undermined me in front of the girls throughout their lives.
“Since January 2021, Alice has also encouraged and instructed them not to see me or communicate with me.
“She has made thousands of threatening and abusive communications to me and about me.”
Hollywood star Ioan obtained a restraining order last August against Alice, 55.
He now claims that “Alice has violated the restraining order repeatedly and continues to do so to this day.”
Ioan blasted Alice for allegedly getting Ella to file her own restraining order against him – and for stopping their two daughters from going to therapy.
The actor said: “Although there is an order for the girls to attend therapy, Alice has repeatedly either refused to bring the girls or interfered with my bringing the girls to therapy.
“Since separation, the girls have missed more therapy session than they have attended and they have had multiple therapists.
“I believe Alice’s actions are child abuse and I am gravely concerned for our children.”
Alice denies abusing or harming her daughters.
Gruffudd, who met Evans when they co-starred in the 2000 Disney movie, 101 Dalmatians filed for divorce in March 2021, shortly after the blonde-haired actress claimed on social media that her husband of 14 years was walking out on her and their two daughters.
