90 day fiance alum Paul Staehle detailed his legal battle with a family member as he and his wife, Karine Staehle, They continue to fight Child Protective Services (CPS) for custody of their two children.
“My cousin has filed a motion to attempt to maintain custody and remove all parental rights and parental rights to Karine permanently,” Paul, 40, wrote via his Instagram Stories on Wednesday, May 24. He went on to state that the motion supposedly requests that Karine’s visits be stopped and that her sons Pierre and Ethan’s last names be changed.
The motion, filed on May 22, was obtained by In contact and shows that Paul’s cousins have filed for permanent custody of the children. His motion is supported by an affidavit filed by a Cabinet Health and Family Services worker, and a copy of the motion was sent to Paul, Karine, and legal representation.
Paul claimed that his cousin, whose name he did not disclose, told Pierre, 4, and Ethan, 15 months, to refer to her as “mom” and to Karine, 27, as their first names.
“She insists that they have no future contact with me, Karine or any of [Karine’s] family,” the father-of-two wrote, claiming his cousin said Karine’s native Brazil “is a poor country where children are abused.”
Paul then claimed that a forthcoming article will be published detailing his cousin’s husband’s criminal record.
“Karine is completing her final court-ordered requirement to regain custody,” Paul wrote in a subsequent Instagram Stories slide. “Very sad that she worked so hard for this.”
The TLC personality claimed that her cousin was trying to “maintain custody and prevent the proper reunification of her and our children” and “to completely erase Karine from her life.”
After noting that he lost custody of his sons Pierre and Ethan “less than 12 months ago,” Paul posted a screenshot of what appeared to be his cousin’s claims on legal paperwork.
According to the cousin, Paul “fails to make sufficient progress toward the identified goals as set forth in the court-approved case plan to allow for the safe return of the child to the parents, resulting in the child remaining in foster care.” for fifteen (15) ) of the last twenty-two (22) months.”
The former reality star then shared a purported screenshot of her cousin’s company Facebook account, explaining that Pierre and Ethan are currently under her care. She later claimed that Karine made accusations against her that are not true, although she did not specify the accusations.
Karine responded to the Facebook post writing: “You know what you and your husband called me in your house, don’t deny it.”
Along with the screenshot, Paul claimed that his cousin and her family “molested Karine during her visits” with their children and that his cousin’s son “bullied” Ethan and Pierre.
He added that one of his sons began hitting other children and Karine, stating that he was “never violent” before he was placed in the care of Paul’s cousin.
Viewers first met the couple during season 1 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before 90 Days in 2017. After getting married in November 2017, Paul and Karine welcomed Pierre in March 2019 and Ethan in February 2021.
After Pablo and Karina Facing various ups and downs in their relationship, they broke up in December 2021 after a clip circulated online showing the couple allegedly engaged in a physical fight inside their Kentucky home.
Karine filed a restraining order against her then-estranged husband on Dec. 30, 2021, alleging he was a victim of rape and domestic violence, according to legal documents. However, In contact exclusively reported that the native of Brazil withdrew the restraining order in February.
The news first broke from Paul and Karine custody battle with CPS in June 2022 when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children sent out a missing person alert for Pierre. Pierre was thought to be missing because he and Ethan were already in CPS custody at the time, while authorities thought Pierre was possibly with Paul at the time of his disappearance.
Days later, Pierre was found and brought into the same foster family as Ethan.
Since they lost custody, the couple has been working together to regain custody. They even rekindled their romance, with In contact confirming that they wereofficially back together” from April 2023.
