Actor vs. Model: Custody Battle Spans 4 Continents & 10 Years
And: Update on Manhunt for Father Who Murdered 3 Daughters
In a case that has spanned four continents and ten years, an American actor has orchestrated a custody battle from hell against a Czech model.
[You may also listen on our Custody Crisis Stories podcast.]
A whirlwind romance resulted in the birth of their son, but the relationship soon ended. On the way out, the actor father told the model mother he would take their son and destroy her—the one promise she says he kept. And so, he began the custody battle when the boy was just an infant.
This story is an incredible example of a Custody Crisis case, in which a father files eleven times for bogus Restraining Orders, the mom flees internationally four times, a Hague proceeding, an asylum application, and a police raid.
Like so many women, this mom found out the hard way that neither the Family Court system nor Hague intermediaries do what is in the best interests of children; and, in fact, both exist to aid and abet fathers in maintaining control after divorce.
This poor mother could not have known ahead of time that Family Court is rigged against women, because the word has not spread far and wide enough. You can help get the word out by sharing her story and joining us in demanding a new system.
We will discuss aspects of her case in the context of the Custody Crisis in the TAKEAWAYS below, but first her story.
TEREZA’S STORY
Tereza was born in the Czech Republic in 1993. She began modeling as a teen with major brands, including Guess, Lululemon, Apple, AT&T and Old Navy. She’s also done some bit acting parts and has appeared in numerous commercials. She loves to travel around the world and engage in all kinds of adventures, some of which she shares on her Instagram: terezakacerova.
Tereza met and began a relationship with an American actor. Not long after, she got pregnant, but they didn’t marry. She went home to Czechia to give birth, where both her parents are pediatricians.
Shortly after Luka was born, their relationship ended—badly, due to his emotional abuse. In classic abuser fashion, he said he was going to take Luka and destroy her. He filed his first motion to do just that when when Luka was three and a half months, still a nursing infant.
Since [Luka] was only three and a half months old, his father has been trying to rip him away from me. He even told me in writing he would drag me through court until I had nothing left...
Tereza says that was the only promise he ever kept.
Shortly after their break-up, Tereza fell in love with the famous musician, Avicii, who is portrayed in the Netflix documentary “Avicii: I Am Tim”.
Tim loved playing the role of a stepfather to Luka, and they talked about having their own children. But he struggled with anxiety and depression, worsened by fame, and ended his life in 2018.
Of course, Tereza’s ex used her grieving the relationship as the basis of one of his constant motions to take custody from her. Thankfully, that one did not work.
But that did not deter. He continued to take Tereza to court countless times, all for bogus reasons. Despite his obsessive efforts, she amazingly managed to retain 50/50 custody—until last year.
At some point, they moved to Austin, Texas.
TEREZA LOSES CUSTODY
In the years leading up to 2024, her ex constantly made allegations that she was some version of mentally ill. This included the usual: unstable and bipolar, but with a new one: erratic. She went through two evaluations that concluded she was not mentally ill, nor a danger to Luka, but that did not deter him from asking for another evaluation with a psychologist he wanted, i.e. could bribe.
In December of 2024, her ex finally got a judge who went with the program full-force: Judge Daniella Lyttle. Of course, she had corrupt court-appointees who aided in the switch by finding her both mad and bad, i.e. unstable and coaching/alienating. Frosting on the cake was the father’s attorney reportedly making large contributions to Judge Lyttle’s campaign fund, a common tactic in states where judges are elected.
But neither appointees nor bribes were necessary. She already knew what she was going to do, and it had nothing to do with facts or evidence or law. She granted the father primary custody with traditional visitation to Tereza.
To further cement the father’s control, Judge Lyttle prohibited Tereza from taking Luka to a doctor or therapist and from going to his school. She also, incredibly, prohibited her from speaking Czech with Luka, which is likely not legal.
Another huge loss was the denial of first right of refusal. Instead of Luka being with his mom when his father was out of town—which was a lot—he would be pawned off to his parents, who Luka said are mean to him, but also to male friends (one who has the nickname “Creepy”).
LUKA DETERIORATING
Luka deteriorated rapidly after the custody switch, coming back to his mom with circles under his eyes, bruising, and wetting himself. He was experiencing great distress at having to spend so much time with his father and so little with his mother, where he wanted to be.
So Tereza filed a motion for modification with the evidence Luka’s health and well-being were being endangered. Within days, the father interfered by getting a friend to report harassment, after which Tereza was arrested.
Once again, he filed another motion, this time to restrict Tereza to supervised visitation. When that was denied, he filed again. And again.
And then it was granted. She would have to be supervised with her precious Luka, even though there was no evidence he was in danger with her and plenty he was with his father. It was a not so transparent attempt to silence them both.
Tereza knew she would have no way to even attempt to protect Luka while restricted to supervised visits.
GREAT ESCAPES
So she fled home to Czechia, believing her native country would protect him.
A Hague case was filed. Brave Luka even testified in person against his father, as well as disclosing to a psychologist and guardian ad litem [GAL].
Despite the clear exception to the Hague Convention, in which a child should not be returned to an abusive parent, an order was made for his return to his father’s sole custody in Texas.
But Tereza was not about to give up. She fled again, this time to South Africa, planning to file for asylum. Interpol (international law enforcement) was alerted and issued a Yellow Notice, which is for missing persons rather than dangerous criminals.
However, her ex tracked them down himself. He succeeded in sabotaging the asylum process and enlisted local police to secretly plan and conduct a raid. Four cars surrounded her place while eight police officers in tactical gear descended upon her and Luka.
Luka clung to me, sobbing that he was afraid of his father and what he would do to him, but he was told to “be brave”…ripped from my arms and handed to the very man we had fled.
Poor Luka was kicking and screaming for Tereza while being forcibly dragged away from her…straight into the clutches of his identified abuser—who was there to ensure the capture. The lengths some fathers will go to get revenge and maintain control over women and children…
IN HER OWN WORDS
Some excerpts from an open letter Tereza recently wrote, which a Czech media outlet published:
I have been systematically criminalized for trying to protect my son—and after both Texas and Czech courts failed us, we ran again.
This is about a child in danger and a violation of basic human rights…I have turned to all the institutions I could have but nothing has helped.
It’s about endangering a child and violating fundamental rights, guaranteed not only by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Istanbul Convention, but also by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
They accuse me of [coaching/alienation] every time. At every hearing, without a single piece of evidence. No judge has ever cared about Luka. So I’m going to make it public so people finally start to see him as an individual who deserves a happy and peaceful childhood—not just a piece of meat [the father] automatically has access to.”
I feel like I was in the twilight zone.
The easiest way to destroy justice is to silence those who expose the truth.
And we will not be silent. Not me. Not Luka.
TAKEAWAYS
It is amazing that Tereza was able to keep her child for nearly ten years after the father began his campaign to take him. This may be because they are both public figures. Or because it took that long to bankrupt her, since she had a lucrative career. Judges are fond of throwing moms crumbs and stringing them, keeping them hoping and believing there will be justice and their children will be protected.
Note that if a mother had filed as constant and numerous motions as this father has, she would have been declared a vexatious litigant. But he was allowed to continue to legally harass her over the course of ten years, causing tremendous strain, expense, and trauma—with zero consequences. That is the FCMO [Family Court M.O.]: torture and bankrupt the bitch for daring to challenge male entitlement.
There were many judges in this case who ruled against Tereza. Most or all were women. Some will say that means the Crisis is not due to discrimination against women or male entitlement. But women who benefit from the patriarchy, especially judges are doing the Old Boys’ bidding because it gets them power, kudos and promotions. They are, despicably, selling women out and harming children for their own gain.
The Hague Convention was supposedly created to keep abusive, controlling fathers from abducting children internationally. But—surprise, surprise—it is mostly being used to help abusive, controlling fathers return children to them after mothers flee to safety.
There is a clause in the Convention that if there is a “grave risk”, children should not be returned. However, Hague judges do the same as Family Court judges: ignore the evidence, lie by commission or omission, and abet the father. Just as was done in Tereza’s case. So fixing the Convention won’t make a difference. The problem must be fixed at the original jurisdiction level.
All in all, Tereza bravely fled to four countries on four continents attempting to find peace and safety for her and her baby: Mexico, Thailand, Czechia and South Africa. So, the most important takeaway from her case is that there is no North for women—no place in the world where mothers can escape subjugation and persecution by Family Court and the theft of their children.
So, the only way to end this abomination is to remove custody cases from Family Court. Join us in demanding a new system in which judges do not have the power to take and endanger our children!
Join The Women’s Coalition and/or subscribe to Women’s Coalition News & Views.
WHAT’S NEXT
It is not clear whether there are outstanding criminal charges against Tereza for “kidnapping”. Hopefully not.
Back in Family Court, another Temporary Restraining Order has been issued against her. It is not known whether she has supervised or any contact with Luka.
There will likely be a hearing on the TRO and custody modification hearings to establish some sort of contact with Luka. If you’d like to support Tereza by attending hearings, contact womenscoalitionintl@gmail.com and your info will be forwarded to advocates.
You may also support her by signing the petition: Help Bring Luka Home: Protect a Child from Legal Abuse and Forced Separation.
Watch this space for updates. And you can follow Tereza on Instagram.
[Special thanks to HaguedMums for providing information on this case and their advocacy on so many Hague cases.]
NOTE: All information was provided by advocates and social media and is alleged.
IN OTHER NEWS
UPDATE ON MANHUNT
The Washington father who murdered his three daughters in June has been found dead.
The manhunt involved several local and federal agencies and spanned three Washington counties. It even led authorities to Canada and Mexico. Yet his remains were found less than a mile from the campsite where he murdered his three daughters.
The cause of death cannot be determined because of the deteriorated nature of the remains, but he has likely been dead for a long time, possibly since shortly after the murders.
He had been granted unsupervised visitation over the strong objections of their mother. He used this entitlement to wreak revenge.
For more information about this case, read our column: Manhunt On for Father Who Murdered 3 Daughters.
RIP Evelyn, Olivia, and Payton
CHAPTER TWO IS OUT!
CHAPTER TWO of Everything Is Going to Be Okay by Samantha Baldwin is out this week. This novel is about yet another mother caught up in her own Family Court nightmare.
In CHAPTER ONE, Mandy is out celebrating her newly minted post-grad degree in marketing when she meets Damian and begins a whirlwind romance. When they move in together, red flags begin popping up, like his propensity for partying, unexplained absences, his odd family, and difficulty connecting on anything but a superficial level. Despite misgivings, she says yes when he asks her to marry him in grand fashion in front of the Taj Mahal.
The PROLOGUE was posted the week before.
You may access all published sections anytime at Women’s Coalition News & Views on the top menu bar, but be sure and subscribe and you will receive them in your inbox (free to subscribe and no paywall).
Sequential sections of the novel are released every Wednesday, so be sure and subscribe if you haven’t yet!
“Her first mistake was trusting him. Her second was trusting the state.”
Amanda led a fairly ordinary life, until she met Damian. He swept her off her feet, whisked her away on exotic holidays, wined and dined her in expensive restaurants and showered her with compliments.
But lurking beneath the charming exterior were sinister secrets Damian had been carrying since childhood, secrets that slowly began to surface. Two sons and a failed marriage later, nothing could have prepared her for the extent of her ex-husband’s deception—nor the injustices inflicted upon her by Family Court.
CUSTODY CRISIS STORIES
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Today’s column may be listened to here.
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I fled to Canada--spoke to a lawyer thru a women's collective. He said it was pointless, that I should send the kids back but Canada would be welcoming to me as an RN.
There are tons of us. I want blood.
The coincidence of our names prompted me to respond, and my heart goes out to all the mothers. In this episode I talk about the international 'man'hunt for mothers protecting their children: https://thirdparadigm.substack.com/p/the-fbis-war-on-moms.
This tells the beginning of that story: https://thirdparadigm.substack.com/p/pedo-sadists-and-a-call-for-help and this tells the happy ending, if being reunited after 11 yrs can be called happy: https://thirdparadigm.substack.com/p/the-mother-child-reunion. In that one, I go through the divorce file (that the mother never saw) to show the obvious deceptions used by the collusion of the corrupt lawyer and judge.