Chris Brown Wins Joint Custody of His Daughter

Though he's been marred by civil suits and criminal proceedings this past year, Chris Brown just won one of his most important legal battles. According to TMZ, the singer has secured joint custody of his daughter, Royalty, to be shared with her mother, Nia Guzman. She had been seeking in Houston courts a ruling that would deny Brown any custodial rights and afford him only supervised visitation. Now, the parents--who each live in Los Angeles--will split physical custody 50-50, with Royalty going back and forth every four days.

That the ruling came down in the state of Texas was a victory in and of itself for Brown and his legal team. They successfully argued for the case to play out in Houston, where it was originally filed, as opposed to Guzman's new home state of California. California courts tend to be much more generous than those in Texas when it comes to doling out child support rulings. Guzman, who currently receives $2,500 each month for Royalty's care, is seeking to raise that figure to $15,000; the judge has not yet hashed out the final financial arrangement. Another matter of dispute is that of a gag order, which Brown argues is necessary to prevent Guzman from unduly damaging his reputation. TMZ initially reported that Brown was absent from the proceedings; Brown responded by posting a photo with one of his attorneys, saying he had been watching the proceedings from a private area.