We all know Tameka Raymond is not the type to back down so it should come as no surprise that the ex-wife of Usher is planning to file an appeal to the custody ruling handed down Friday in which Usher was granted primary custody of the former couple’s two sons, Usher V and Naviyd. What may be a little surprising though is the justification for the appeal. When Tameka started tweeting about how “money can buy many things” after the ruling, many assumed she was talking about Usher’s money, but Tameka seems to think Usher’s lawyer’s cash may have played a part in the custody outcome as well. As our favorite gossip site tells it:

“[S]ources close to Tameka tell TMZ, she feels the ruling was unfair. We’re told Tameka recently found out that Usher’s lawyer’s law firm threw an election fundraiser back in 2008 for the judge who presided over the trial … and she feels that connection may have influenced the ruling.

“According to the campaign contribution report for Judge Lane, the law firm that represented Usher raised $1,278 for Lane in March 2008.

“Sources tell us … Tameka is baffled by the decision because she argued in court that Usher is constantly on the road, where as she has the more stable schedule … thus it makes no sense to give him primary custody.

Being real, $1,200 isn’t a whole lot of money but it does show the law firm that represented Usher supports Judge Lane, meaning the ruling could be proof of a little “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” agreement between the parties. It’s not as though the judge didn’t have plenty of other things to base her ruling on though, considering some of the petty allegations thrown at Usher and questions regarding Tameka’s mental state. At this point, Usher’s ex-wife may just be grasping for $1,200 straws, but she could have a case if the connection between Ursh’s lawyer and the judge turns out to be as suspect as it looks on the surface. What do you think?

Do you think the contribution Usher’s law firm made to Judge Lane presents a conflict of interest?

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Source: Gossip On This

What seemed like a never-ending custody battle between Usher and his ex-wife Tameka Raymond has finally come to a close with what is a somewhat surprising ending, in my opinion. According to TMZ, Usher has been awarded primary custody of their two sons.

It’s a shocking development — considering both sides were trying to strip each other of custody. Tameka felt the singer was an absentee father who was too absorbed in his career to be a good dad. She also accused him of using drugs in front of the kids.

Usher argued Tameka was inattentive and irresponsible.

The ruling marks the end of an emotional custody trial — involving wild accusations and name-calling … Usher even broke down at one point on the witness stand.

But today, we’re told a judge sided with the singer — awarding Usher primary custody of the ex-couple’s two sons, which means the children will be spending the majority of the time with their father.

Tameka still retains some custodial rights — but the extent to which Tameka will be able to see her kids is unclear.

Though Tameka has come to be shown as somewhat unstable throughout the custody proceedings, I can’t imagine how the mother must be feeling having just lost her son Kile and to now be losing primary custody of two other sons. Hopefully she and Usher will be able to handle this new arrangement better than they have their custody battle. As for Tameka’s reaction, she said this on Twitter less than an hour ago:

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Source: kimoracochran.com

At some point or another, a lot of people have thought Usher’s ex-wife Tameka Raymond was a little crazy, but not necessarily in the medical sense of the word — I don’t think. Well, the same can’t be said of Usher’s legal team who brought in an expert psychologist to lend his opinion of Tameka’s mental state. In a lot of ways, Usher’s lawyers got Tameka to drive the nail in her own coffin, questioning her about less-than affluent times when she wrote bad checks to survive and stole for her and her baby. According to Rhymes with Snitch Tameka testified:

“Yes, I stole things. Please, I stole diapers before. I’ve gone in 7-Eleven and stolen diapers out of the store. I admit it, I was 19 years old, I’m not proud of it. I wouldn’t do it now.

“When I lost my jobs and didn’t have work, it was me and my crying baby at home. Just the two of us.”

At 41-years-old and a two-time industry man divorcee, Tameka certainly has no need for stealing diapers now, but that doesn’t mean her mind isn’t still in the wrong place, let Usher’s people tell it. In their closing arguments, they brought up testimony from a licensed psychologist who determined that Tameka suffers from:

“moderately severe mental disorder.”

I certainly hope those remarks came from a true expert and weren’t just a last-ditch effort to place the odds of obtaining full custody of his kids in Usher’s complete favor. Either way, these two have been in court long enough that a judge should be able to see-through the legal trick if that’s the case. If Tameka really is dealing with a mental disorder of some kind, that no doubt would have shown up in one of their numerous court proceedings. Despite Tameka seemingly putting Usher through the ringer during this custody battle, and him doing the same, it seems really insensitive to throw out this allegation, particularly after she lost her son just last month.

What do you think about this mental disorder allegation?

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Source: Gossiponthis.com

It looks like the tragic accident involving Tameka Raymond’s son may ease strife in another area of her life. Usher apparently wants to settle the nasty custody battle that has been going on between him and his ex-wife for months now. After experiencing the tragedy involving Tameka’s son Kile who was left brain dead after a ski accident, the singer wants to make amends and end the fighting between them.

According to TMZ:

Sources connected with the couple tell TMZ … Usher spoke with Tameka over the weekend and suggested that they settle up, but he did not significantly change his offer — 50/50 custody with a very slight increase in child support.  Tameka said no way.

But apparently Usher softened after the conversation, because our sources say he met with his lawyers earlier this week and instructed them to craft a new proposal that would give Tameka “a majority” of custody, though the sources did not specify the exact breakdown.  We’re told Usher is also raising his child support offer “significantly.”

Usher’s obvious motivation is the suffering Tameka is going through. According to the sources he’s very sympathetic to her pain and realizes now is not the time to continue a fight over her other children.

The offer hasn’t been presented to Tameka yet, but TMZ’s contacts say she is open to a “reasonable settlement.” Hopefully this will at least give her one less thing to worry about although it’s unfortunate it took this accident to come to this point.

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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