Dwyane Wade was awarded FULL custody of his sons

NBA star Dwyane Wade was awarded sole custody of his sons after a drawn-out and contentious battle with his ex-wife, lawyers said Sunday.

The Miami Heat guard's children, ages 3 and 9, settled in to his Florida home over the weekend, Wade said.

"Going through a custody trial was difficult, and I wish it hadn't been necessary," Wade said in a statement. "I felt it was the only way that I could continue to play an active part of my kids' lives and provide them with a happy and stable home."

Cook County Circuit Judge Renee Goldfarb on Friday issued a meticulous 102-page ruling, which took into consideration who will have custody of the children during holidays, All-Star Weekend and the NBA finals.

The boys, who had been living with their mother in suburban South Holland, will have 30 days to acclimate to their new school and surroundings. During that period, they will have limited contact with their mother, Siohvaughn Wade.

"This is a very difficult decision for this court," Goldfarb wrote. "This will be an abrupt change for the children. However, this court has very grave reservations about (Siohvaughn Wade's) ability and/or willingness to ease these children through a transition."

After the monthlong adjustment, Siohvaughn Wade will fly to Miami every other weekend to spend time with her children, with the exception of a few holidays, when the boys will come to Illinois. For the time being, the cost of her trips, including "reasonable" airfare and lodging, will be covered by Dwyane Wade.

During All-Star Weekend, the NBA star will have parenting time with the boys, according to the judge's ruling. If the Miami Heat are in the NBA finals, the boys will be with their dad, but only if Wade is a playing or participating in the games.

"Unfortunately I think the court got it wrong and it's not in the best interest of these children and fails to recognize that Siohvaughn Wade has been a wonderful mother and a provider for these children, educationally, emotionally and physically," said her lawyer, Michael A. Haber. "Mr. Wade, while well-intentioned, just does not have the ability to parent these children."

Siohvaughn Wade is considering an appeal of the judge's decision, Haber said.

During the nearly five-month trial, Haber accused Dwyane Wade of being disengaged, uncommitted and too busy to be a full-time dad. Wade's lawyer said his ex-wife is manipulative, mentally unstable and occasionally violent, and that she alienated the children from their father.

"In a custody trial that was one of the longest ever in Cook County history, we presented clear evidence of parental alienation against Mr. Wade," James Pritikin, Wade's lawyer, said Sunday. "The court agreed the best home is with Mr. Wade and that he is also willing to foster a relationship with the children's mother."

Wade, a native of south suburban Robbins, married his high school love in 2002 while still at Marquette University. Five years later, they separated and began what would become a contentious and prolonged divorce proceeding.

By 2009, Siohvaughn Wade had accused her husband of adultery, infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease and abandoning their children. Wade denied all accusations and filed a defamation lawsuit against her.

The judge found that Siohvaughn Wade demonstrated a "continual unwillingness or inability to foster a positive relationship between the children and their father."

Despite his demanding schedule, Wade has the physical and emotional energy to parent, Goldfarb said. Wade is in Miami at least 70 percent of the time, Goldfarb said, and his schedule allows him to be at home for breakfast and when the boys come home from school.

"The primary bond and attachment is to the mother," said Haber, Siohvaughn Wade's lawyer. "They've been yanked from their mother. The long-term effect on these children is unknown."

|source: http://www.chicagotribune.com|

Well maybe going through six different attorney's hurt your rock solid case Siohvaughn. This should have been a simple open & close case now you wont even be getting that child support money. Now you lost your children and your marriage and your only parting gift allegedly is a life long STD. I guess its not really allegedly since you blamed Dwyane for the STD. The only thing left for you Siohvaughn is to join the cast of basketball wives or write Confessions of a Basketball Ex-wife. I look forward to seeing you on reality TV in the very near future.