Singer Sia's Estranged Husband Escalates Custody Battle With Scathing Allegations

Singer Sia's ex is not throwing in the towel on his legal battles with her.

Daniel Bernard, who has been no stranger to court with his ex-wife on matters of divorce and spousal support, now battles for sole custody of their one-year-old and child support fees. He claims the vocalist is unfit and struggles with substance abuse.

Singer Sia and Daniel Bernard tied the knot in December 2022, and she filed for divorce in March this year. This is not her first rodeo, as she divorced her first husband, Erik Lang, in 2016 after two years of marriage.

Foul play might just be involved as Sia's second divorce continues to trend. A custody battle, fueled by accusations, has begun. Bernard claims that the singer is a serious and immediate danger to their son, Somersault Wonder Bernard, and is requesting full custody. In the legal documents, Bernard claims:

"Sia is an unfit and unreliable parent struggling with substance abuse and addiction, rendering her incapable of providing safe or stable care for Summi. I am the only safe and reliable parent for our son. I am a doctor, young, healthy, and have no criminal history or drug or alcohol addiction issues."

Sia, on the other hand, says he's already restricted to monitored visits because of a child porn investigation. Her response to Bernard's claims was that there's no emergency reason to grant him full custody. She confirms that Summi has been and remains safe in her custody since their separation.

She says she demanded the monitoring after being informed of the investigation. According to TMZ, Bernard's demands did not stop there. He wants his ex to agree to random and regular drug tests and is demanding child support of over $70,000 monthly.

Bernard claims that Sia deliberately concealed that she was hospitalized in L.A. for 2 weeks, and tested positive for barbiturates and benzodiazepines, with no profound medical explanation.

Sia denied the allegation, saying she's been sober for over 6 months and that she has agreed to drug testing for both her and Bernard, but he refused to get tested regularly. Furthermore, she confirmed that although she suffered from substance abuse 15 years ago, recovery has been a "cornerstone" of her life.

She also called Bernard out, saying he intends to weaponize her past sobriety journey, which serves no legitimate purpose and is geared toward undermining her credibility.

On the child porn allegations, Bernard denies them strongly and claims he believes Sia planted the evidence. His request for monthly child support was based on the claim that he has no income, as the singer ceased all funding from their joint company. 

Months after their divorce, Bernard demanded in court that he needed $250,856 per month for spousal support. He extended his plea to $300,000 towards his legal expenses, and an additional $200,000 for forensic accounting fees and costs.

He was an oncologist when they first met but has since been unemployed and claims he has had zero income since April 1, as Sia withdrew all funding from their joint business, Modern Medicine. 

The Blast reported that the couple lived a luxurious life while together, as Bernard revealed they spent between $400,000 and $500,000 per month on living costs.

After her split from Erik Lang in 2016, the artist opened up about the aftereffects on her emotional well-being. She revealed that she faced a three-year battle with severe depression.

As shared by The Blast, she found it challenging to engage with life and music for that period. This affected her creative process, and she noted that her artistic output was minimal.

The "Chandelier" singer had to take time to heal and regain her motivation to create music slowly. The struggle she faced upon returning to music inspired the tracks for her new album.

In 2023, Sia revealed on social media that she had undergone liposuction. She explained that she had to take medication that caused her to gain weight.

The extra weight could not be shifted with "exercise or thyroid meds," so she opted for a lipo. The Blast noted that the music icon wanted to be truthful about her procedures before revealing that being in the public eye gave her anxiety.

"I've made the choice to alter my appearance for my own confidence issues," she added, then asked fans for prayers. Many fans sent well-wishes, praised her for her transparency, and offered words of encouragement.

Which way will the hammer of justice swing in the custody battle?