Will GMA Affair Cause T.J. Holmes To Lose Custody Of Daughter??

L. F.

Yikes! T.J. Holmes might really come to regret how he’s handled his affair with Amy Robach if this comes true!!

Now that the Good Morning America co-hosts are officially out at ABC News just two months after their extramarital affair made headlines, attention is turning to T.J.’s divorce, which is bound to be complicated as he and his wife of 12 years, Marilee Fiebig, battle over the custody of their 10-year-old daughter Sabine.

Just last week, the former entertainment exec lawyered up big time, adding a second attorney to her team — pretty much signaling she’s ready for war! And now we have a better idea of what (or rather who) is at stake.

Related: Andrew Shue’s Son Shares Cryptic Post After Amy & T.J.’s GMA Exit!

On Tuesday, Lisa Zeiderman, a New York-based divorce attorney and partner at Miller Zeiderman, opened up about how T.J.’s messy affair is bound to screw up his child custody case, and it does not sound good. Speaking to The US Sun, she revealed a court will likely consider whether the secret romance affected T.J.’s ability to parent — and it could “negatively impact” the results.

One major question that might arise in the legal battle is if the high-profile nature of the cheating scandal had an impact on the little girl’s well-being, the legal expert explained:

“This lack of privacy, and the degree to which a parent has contributed to that lack of privacy, I don’t think would be helpful in a custody case.”

Now, obviously, the former CNN correspondent couldn’t control how mainstream and viral this affair turned out to be once it was exposed. That said, he could have used better judgment once the romance was leaked in order to protect his child, Lisa noted:

“Your child is part of a community and you don’t want your child to have to deal with those issues when the child goes to school or is with their friends or any of those kinds of things. I think that judgment is important. I don’t think it’s the affair per se, but more so that it’s whether it affected your child’s best interest.”

The expert went on to list a series of potential questions that will be raised while the legal system determines custody, musing:

“How did that relationship affect their ability to parent? Did they make choices to be with the person they have these extramarital affairs with at times that they could have been with their children? Was there a diminished amount of time that they were spending with their child?”

A lot to consider, but time and energy are only one part of the equation — money will be a big factor, too! The attorney elaborated:

“There is also the question of equitable distribution, or what we call a wasteful dissipation of assets. The question becomes: Because of your affair were you wastefully dissipating assets? Were you paying for things, gifts, extravagant luxury things, and that kind of stuff, and does that need to go back into the marital pie?”

Hmm. We know T.J. and Amy went on at least one trip to upstate New York around Thanksgiving time, so there was probably some money spent on Amy that could have been going to the 45-year-old journalist’s family instead. Will it be enough to paint a negligent picture? We’re not sure. What we do know is T.J. isn’t helping himself by continuing to step out so publicly with his new girlfriend!

Related: Gerard Piqué’s Mistress Had To Hire A Bodyguard After Shakira Diss Track

The couple has made little effort to keep their chemistry a secret once they were (at first temporarily) booted from GMA. Then just hours after signing exit agreements with the network on Friday, they were seen flaunting some MAJOR PDA outside of a restaurant in Los Angeles. Pretty similar to the way they got cozy in Miami as T.J. filed for divorce. It’s like he wants to rub it in…

Marilee’s lawyers already seem focused on attacking the reporter for his public affair. When the mother’s lead attorney, Stephanie F. Lehman, made her first public statement on the sad sitch in early January, she slammed T.J. for his “lack of discretion,” saying:

“During the holiday season and in light of the challenging times, Marilee’s sole focus has remained on the overall best interest of her [ten]-year-old daughter.”

She certainly couldn’t say the same about the father, adding:

“To that end, T.J.’s lawyer and I have been working together to move their divorce forward privately, expeditiously, and as amicably as possible. Notwithstanding, we continue to be disappointed by T.J.’s lack of discretion, respect, and sensitivity toward Marilee and the party’s daughter.”

Damn. This reads way more intensely after hearing the expert’s opinion on the custody case! Especially that last line.

Marilee’s camp is clearly preparing to fight hardball. We just hope whatever happens is truly in the best interest of Sabine, who must be having such a hard time dealing with this very public split at her young age. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Do YOU think the affair could negatively impact T.J.’s family life?! Sound OFF (below)!

[Image via GMA/YouTube & Marilee Fiebig/Instagram]

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