Heidi Klum claims that her ex-husband, musician Seal, will not let her take their children out of the United States.
The America's Got Talent judge asked for an emergency hearing to allow her to bring their children to Germany in October. The former runway model is set to film Germany's Next Top Model Season 16. The show was previously filmed in Los Angeles to accommodate Klum's schedule but the German cast and crew could not travel to the U.S. due to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.
In the filing obtained by People and published on Thursday (August 20), it stated that Seal does not want their children traveling due to the pandemic. The former couple share custody of their four children: 16-year-old Leni, 14-year-old Henry, 13-year-old Johan and 10-year-old Lou. Although they have joint custody, the children spend the majority of their time living with their mother.
"Henry's [Seal] time with our children is sporadic at best," Klum wrote in the legal declaration and added that he does not currently approve of the trip after initially approving of the trip back in April and subsequently changing his mind.
"I am well aware of all of the necessary precautions associated with the COVID-19 virus, and would never put our children at risk — I have taken all the precautions for Germany the same way I do in the United States," Klum continued.
Klum even offered to alter their previously scheduled custody plan by giving her ex-husband three weeks with the children during Christmas, even though he apparently had the kids last Christmas.
"Also, as Henry has a British passport, he would be able to visit the children while they are in Germany if he wishes to do so," she explained. Klum alleged that she tried to work out this issue directly with Seal to no avail and that her children staying with their father in Los Angeles "could not possibly be in their best interests."
Their eldest daughter Leni submitted her own declaration to the court.
"This is hard because I love both of my parents, but I feel like I need to speak up," Leni wrote. "I understand that my siblings are too young to speak to the judge, so I am happy to speak for all of us. My mom needs to film in Germany for a few months and my siblings and I want to go with her."
Leni said that she and her siblings have told their father the reasons that they would like to go with their mother to Germany. She said that it would be a great opportunity and that they would be able to see their grandparents while away. She concluded her letter by sharing that everyone is "really upset" and they are "frightened" of being away from their mother for such a long period of time.