Los Angeles

Exes Reach Settlement in Bitter Cross-Border Custody Battle for Dog

"Berryhill Thinkingmans Crumpet," Crumpet for short, was in the middle of a lawsuit involving stalking and thousands in emotional damages

A former couple locked in a cross-border legal dispute over possession of a small dog settled their dispute.

The attorneys for Paul Wallace and Alexandra Wells notified Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teresa Beaudet on Thursday that the case was resolved. No terms were divulged.

Wallace, a Toronto advertising executive, was vying with Wells for permanent custody of "Berryhill Thinkingmans Crumpet," the name given the smooth-coated Brussels Griffon that Wallace said he bought in July 2011 for $1,237 from a well-known Canadian breeder.

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A photo posted by Paul Wallace ��❤ (@ilovecrumpet) on Sep 28, 2013 at 4:36pm PDT

Wallace posted the female pooch's face on Instagram, and the canine has made numerous other appearances on social media.

Wallace started the litigation by suing Wells, of Los Angeles, in June 2015. He said Wells paid him for her interest in the pet, but later relinquished her ownership claim. Wells maintained she was always the dog's sole owner.

The Brussels Griffon breed, also known as Griffon Bruxellois, is a stock of toy dog named for Brussels, Belgium.

Wallace and Wells dated from August 2008 until May 2013 and lived together in Toronto, according to his suit. In April 2012, Wells said she was temporarily moving to Los Angeles for five months, but would return, while Crumpet remained in Toronto with Wallace, his court papers said. But Wells did not return, and in May 2013 told Wallace that she would remain in Los Angeles, but missed Crumpet and asked that she be allowed to have the pet for a while in the Southland, according to his suit.

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Wallace says he declined the visitation, but later that year agreed to Wells' request that Crumpet spend time with her for two months while he would be traveling. The parties agreed the dog could stay with Wells until February 2014, then be returned to Wallace in Toronto, but that never happened, according to his lawsuit.

Wells countersued in July 2015, alleging assault, battery, domestic violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and stalking. According to the countersuit, Wallace and another man grabbed Crumpet from Wells' grasp in May 2015 in Sherman Oaks. She alleges that Wallace twisted her arms and wrists and banged her body against a wall, leaving her with bruises and scratches, and also shouted profanities at her before he and the other man left with the dog.

Wells obtained a stay-away order against Wallace about two weeks after the Sherman Oaks incident. He was ordered to return the dog to her, according to her suit, and the canine has remained with her ever since.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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