Sarunas Jackson, former Insecure star and brother of Keke Palmer’s ex Darius Jackson filed for joint custody of his daughter Zen recently. The petition, obtained by Radar Online, was filed in September and asked the courts grant him joint legal and physical custody of the five-year-old who he claims lives in California. 

The mother of his child, actress Dominique Perry, asked the judge to deny the petition for several reasons with the main one being that Zen has lived in Houston since her birth. She claims Zen only goes to California when she books acting gigs there, but has maintained a home in both locations until recently. 

“While pregnant, I returned to Texas to deliver Zen. Zen was born in Houston, Texas. I maintain a home in the State of Texas and Texas is where I spend the great majority of my time. And because I have always been Zen’s primary caregiver, Zen travels with me and has exclusively lived with me making her permanent home in Texas as well,” she wrote.

In the court filing, she wrote that “Despite the emotional volatility and intimidation that [Sarunas] has directed towards me,” she has been committed to “fostering a positive co-parenting relationship with [Sarunas] because I know that is in Zen’s best interest.”

She also added that she hasn’t kept the actor from being involved in his daughter’s life in any way. 

The problem arose when Perry decided to move to Texas full-time because she could no longer afford to live in both places. She claimed to have shared the plan to move back to Texas in September with Jackson, who didn’t object at the time. For this reason, Perry was surprised to see the actor file a court case without telling her. She is also unable to move due to the filing. 

In Perry’s response, she also alluded to the actor, 33, being an inconsistent parent. “[Sarunas’] visitation routines are dependent upon when he expresses a desire to see her. Generally, [Sarunas] requests to see Zen are sporadic. Because Sarunas’] has attained a certain level of success in his career, he generally works and has to travel even more than I do. I am concerned with whom Zen may be left with in the face of his extended absences.”

This move doesn’t seem like the type of press Jackson needs considering his brother was just ordered to give his gun up and was subjected to a restraining order after allegedly abusing the mother of his child, actress and singer Keke Palmer. The internet was up in arms about it and Jackson decided to chime into the conversation, unprovoked, with a now deleted tweet.

“The most disgusting, vile, abusive, manipulative person I have EVER encountered in my entire life..Abuses almost everyone. Y’all will see..just send positive energy to the babies..any child in the middle of something like this doesn’t deserve it AT ALL. Wow. So damn sad,” he wrote.

In turn, Palmer’s mother, Sharon, accused Sarunas of doing nothing when she claims she went to him a year go to let him know about violence in Keke and Darius’s relationship, even calling him a “f–kboy” and saying he told her “he used to be like that too.” Perry went on to post a meme of Michael Jackson eating popcorn in her InstaStories, which she clarified was not aimed at Keke, noting that “There’s situations where you laugh to keep from crying.”

“I would never laugh at ANYONE that is subject to domestic abuse female or male. As it’s known abuse comes in different definitions, silent and physical. Only the people enduring such behavior truly understand the effect,” she wrote in a post. “Women have been manipulated, abused, lied on for centuries, and put their head down for the fear of not being believed. We need to stop being afraid.”

She added, “I may not be att the highest platform in my career just yet to be heard and/or supported by the public, but whenever that time comes, everyone will listen. God is in control of my steps and I’ll respond accordingly. I will be vindicated in his timing. Pray for the abusers the protected babies will always be fine.”

Hopefully, he’ll be minding his baby and affairs moving forward.