Sheree Burton is seeking court permission to relocate to Tennessee amid a contentious custody dispute with her ex-husband, General Hospital actor Steve Burton. The legal battle involves conflicting claims regarding parental stability and the well-being of their daughter, Brooklyn.
Sheree Burton's Request to Move Brooklyn to Tennessee
Sheree Burton, 49, has formally asked a judge to allow her to move from California to Tennessee. According to court documents obtained by In Touch, this request comes as she denies allegations from Steve Burton that she is intentionally alienating their daughter, Brooklyn, from her father. Sheree Burton argues that the move is necessary, despite Steve Burton's own recent decision to relocate back to the West Coast.
This geographic tug-of-war is a recurring theme in high-profile celebrity separations, where the distance between parents often becomes a primary point of legal leverage. by seeking a move to Tennessee, Sheree Burton is effectively challenging the current jurisdictional status quo, potentially forcing a complete overhaul of the existing custody arrangement to accommodate a cross-country divide.
The $25,000 Legal Fee Request and Six-Figure Income
The financial disparities between the two parties have surfaced as a significant point of friction in the filings. As reported by In Touch, court documents revealed that Steve Burton earns an alleged six-figure monthly income.. This financial standing led Sheree Burton to initially demand that Steve Burton pay her $25,000 to help cover the legal expenses she has accrued while fighting him in court.
While the monetary request was a flashpoint in the proceedings, it appears to have been a temporary one. Steve Burton's attorney has since stated that the request for $25,000 in legal fees was recently dropped, though the revelation of Steve Burton's high earnings remains a matter of public record in the case filings.
The Role of the Stepmother in California Caregiving
A central pillar of Sheree Burton's argument is the question of who provides the most stable daily environment for Brooklyn. Sheree Burton claims that she has always been the stable parent and alleges that Steve Burton lacked a stable residence durnig his time in California . This claim is designed to undermine Steve Burton's position as a primary caregiver in the state.
Furthermore, Sheree Burton asserts that if she were forced to remain in California, the actual primary care of Brooklyn would not fall to Steve Burton, but rather to the child's stepmother. By framing the caregiving role as being outsourced to a third party, Sheree Burton is attempting to convince the court that her presence in the child's life is more critical than Steve Burton's proximity.
Steve Burton's Two Cross-Country Moves Without Brooklyn
The history of Steve Burton's residential choices is being used by Sheree Burton to paint a picture of instability. Sheree Burton alleges that Steve Burton has moved across the country on two separate occasions without taking Brooklyn with him. She claims that she originally signed a custody stipulation that she believed was in her daughter's best interest, only for Steve Burton to later contest the details in court.
This sequence of events leaves several critical questions unanswered. It remains unclear exactly what the specific terms of the contested stipulation were, and the source does not provide Steve Burton's direct response to the claim that he moved twice without his daughter. Additionally, while Steve Burton alleges parental alienation, the specific evidence he is using to support this claim has not been detailed in the available reports.
The 'Unrelenting' Messages and Communication Breakdowns
The emotional volatility of the dispute is evident in the descriptions of the parents' interactions. Sheree Burton describes her communication with Steve Burton as poor and claims that the actor has been "unrelenting" in his messages regarding their daughter. This suggests a high-conflict dynamic that often complicates the "best interests of the child" standard used by family courts.
Despite these tensions, Sheree Burton maintains that she has not restricted Steve Burton's access to Brooklyn. She claims that she previously provided free and open access to the actor via phone calls, texts, and FaceTime, contradicting the narrative of alienation. This disagreement over the nature of their communication highlights a fundamental gap in how each parent perceives the other's commitment to co-parenting.
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