ATLANTA — A judge has scheduled an emergency custody hearing requested by Usher's ex-wife after one of the pair's sons got stuck in a pool drain at the singer's Atlanta home.
A lawyer for Tameka Foster Raymond filed the request in Fulton County Superior Court on Tuesday and Judge John J. Goger approved it the same day, scheduling a hearing for Friday. The court filing says the boy "suffered a near-death accident" while left unsupervised in a pool at the Grammy winner's home on Monday.
Tameka Raymond is seeking temporary primary custody of the former couple's two children, as well as temporary final decision-making authority regarding their education, health care, religion and extracurricular activities.
A lawyer who has previously represented Usher in the custody dispute did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment, and her office said she was scheduled to be in court all week.
Atlanta police have said 5-year-old Usher Raymond V fell to the bottom of the pool and became stuck in the drain on Monday. A housekeeper tried unsuccessfully to free him. A contractor doing work at the home pulled the boy from the pool and performed CPR.
The boy was "conscious, alert and breathing" when emergency medical workers arrived, police said. The boy was in the intensive-care unit of a hospital being treated for his injuries, Tameka Raymond's court filing says.
In a statement Wednesday night, Usher said he's "blessed and fortunate" that his son is recovering.
"I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of prayers, love and support for my family's well-being. I would like to thank my Aunt Rena as well as the doctors and nurses who are working with us around the clock," he said in a statement issued through a spokeswoman. "I would especially like to thank the two men who saved my son's life, Eugene Stachurski and Ben Crews. They are true heroes and I am deeply grateful to them."
