Mel B, of the 1990’s musical group Spice Girls, recently lost a court case with her ex-husband Stephen Belafonte. He vehemently objected to and fought against Mel B travelling with their daughter to the United Kingdom for the winter holidays. According to The Herald Mail, Mel B hoped to relocate with her daughter to Leeds for the holidays. She currently holds joint custody with Belafonte, whose time with their daughter consists of Wednesday nights and every other weekend.

As reported by TMZ, Belafonte succeeded in having the Los Angeles Superior Court order Mel B to keep her daughter in the U.S. The reason being that the last time Mel B took their daughter to the UK she was “traumatized.” Additionally, Belafonte alleged that Mel B caused severe psychological distress to their daughter by repeatedly asking for information regarding her desire to not travel to the UK. As a result of the court order, their daughter is currently spending the holidays with her father in Los Angeles. It’s still unclear whether Mel B will decide to remain in Los Angeles with their daughter or continue with her original travel plans.

In Ontario, parents who can’t agree on whether their child should travel internationally with one parent can file an application or motion for a judge to decide. Usually the court allows parents to travel with their children inside and outside the country. This judgment is only called to question if the travel arrangement has the potential to cause the child some type of harm or there is risk of the travelling parent not returning with the child. It is up to the parent seeking to prevent the other from travelling to prove why the action is not in the child’s best interest. For example, Belafonte demonstrated his concern not only for his child’s mental well-being, but also for the fact that Mel B had alleged intentions to permanently relocate their daughter to the UK.

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