In a custody dispute, Rumer Willis (37) has achieved a decisive milestone victory. According to a report by US magazine "People", which has access to court documents, the 37-year-old daughter of Bruce Willis (71) and Demi Moore (63) has been granted primary physical custody of her three-year-old daughter Louetta. The child she shares with her ex-partner Derek Richard Thomas (33) will now primarily live with her mother.
Legal custody, meaning the right to make fundamental decisions in the child's life, continues to be shared by both parents. Additionally, the court ordered a so-called custody evaluation for both parties. According to the ruling, Thomas will receive visitation rights starting June 20 - initially every other weekend. In a first phase, these visits will be accompanied and monitored by a nanny from Willis' household. Starting in August, the visitation is to be expanded to unsupervised overnight stays. Both parents were also required to complete co-parenting counseling and to conduct their communication through a corresponding app.
Thomas' attorney Mike Kretzmer commented to "People" on the decision: "Mr. Thomas is very satisfied with the court's preliminary determination in the custody matter. The judge focused on the essential points and carefully weighed the evidence presented. We are pleased that the court has established a custody and visitation arrangement that provides Mr. Thomas with a solid and meaningful opportunity to restore and deepen his relationship with his daughter Louetta." He said they look forward to presenting further evidence in court that Thomas is "a loving, committed and devoted father". A spokesperson for Willis left an inquiry from "People" initially unanswered.
Serious Mutual Accusations
The path to this ruling was marked by harsh mutual accusations. In May, Willis had made serious allegations against Thomas in court documents obtained by "People". She described a persistent pattern of emotional mistreatment that had begun before the separation in 2024 - and which allegedly frequently occurred in front of their shared child. The ex-partner's behavior allegedly "traumatized" the girl and made her cry, which is why Willis strictly rejected overnight stays without a court-ordered evaluation. The presence of Thomas' now new fiancée during his visitation times also caused her concern, as he allegedly has a "history of arguing in relationships, including in front of the child".
Thomas rejected the allegations in his own statement. He had not committed domestic violence in any form, including coercion or intimidating behavior. While the relationship had been unhealthy and therefore rightly ended, it had by no means been characterized by violence or intimidation. The separation had been a mutual decision in both parties' interest. He explained Willis' allegations by saying she was "upset" by Louetta's obvious affection for his fiancée.
Willis and Thomas had officially declared their relationship ended in August 2024. They had been together since 2022; in December of that same year, they had publicly announced their pregnancy. Daughter Louetta Isley Thomas Willis was born on April 18, 2023.
