A bitter custody dispute between rapper Kodak Black and the mother of two of his children has been settled, according to court records.
Black, whose legal name is Bill Kapri, was accused of violently abusing his ex-girlfriend and failing to pay child support during the contentious case, which began in February. Meanwhile, his ex, Maranda Johnson, 23, faced a series of lawsuits and criminal charges in Broward, one of which led to her arrest following a custody hearing at the courthouse last month. She was charged with a misdemeanor stemming from a fight at their daughter’s birthday party in January and a felony over allegedly vandalizing Black’s designer cars last year.
Yet despite the acrimony on both sides of the case, the rapper and his ex have since reached a settlement agreement and parenting plan, according to an agreed order signed by their attorneys on Thursday. Both lawsuits filed against Johnson, one for defamation and one over the damage to the cars, were also voluntarily dismissed Tuesday.
The two share a 1-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. Black had sought 50-50 custody of the children, which Johnson had argued against, citing Greyson’s Law, a Florida statute that requires judges to consider prior domestic violence when making custody decisions.
The terms of their settlement were not available in court records Wednesday.
Black’s attorneys declined to comment on the details of the agreement.
“My client is very happy to put this to rest,” the rapper’s family attorney, Vanessa Prieto, told the Sun Sentinel, adding that he is “looking forward to spending the time he requested with his children.”
Related Articles
Kodak Black accused of domestic violence, unpaid child support in contentious custody case
Johnson’s attorney, Jodie Bassichis, did not respond to requests for comment.
The dispute began in February when Johnson filed a request for an emergency pick-up order, saying Black had absconded with their son after a Wilton Manors birthday party that erupted into several fights when three different mothers of Black’s children arrived. The judge approved the pick-up order and their son was later returned to Johnson, but the battle over custody and child support continued. In May, Johnson went to the police over domestic violence, showing them photographs of her injuries, according to a report. Police did not arrest Black, saying Johnson did not give a sworn statement.
Meanwhile, a series of criminal and civil cases against Johnson began. In April, a group of limited-liability companies affiliated with Black and represented by his defense attorney, Bradford Cohen, sued Johnson over the vandalism to the cars. In May, Black sued Johnson for defamation, saying she had falsely described him as a “Dead Beat Dad.” That same month, victims came forward in two separate criminal cases against Johnson, and in July, prosecutors filed two cases against her, one for battery during the fight at the birthday party and the other for several counts of criminal mischief over the cars.
Johnson pleaded not guilty in both criminal cases and sought to fight both lawsuits. On Tuesday, Black and the series of LLCs voluntarily dismissed the two lawsuits. Cohen, who had previously mentioned a “global resolution” in an email with Johnson’s attorney, declined to comment Wednesday on whether dropping the lawsuits was part of such a resolution.
“I think it’s great that it got resolved,” he said. “It’s a great thing for the future of the kids and the future of the two parties.”
The two criminal cases against Johnson remain active, according to the Broward State Attorney’s Office, which declined to comment further on the details. Johnson was arraigned in the vandalism case Tuesday morning, court records show. A calendar call for the battery case is set for Thursday.
This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
