Judge Sides With Christina Ricci in Custody Battle Over Son's Texts

When an 11-year-old sends a text to his dad about his mom’s behavior on a flight, it sets off a legal firestorm—but the court just made clear that not every family squabble belongs in the courtroom.

On June 16, Christina Ricci was traveling to Canada with her son Freddie for work when her ex-husband James Heerdegen claimed he received text messages from their son describing Ricci’s alcohol consumption during the flight. Freddie used“certain words to describe the manner”in which his mom drank and her behavior after. It was the kind of message that could ignite parental alarm—and Heerdegen responded by filing an emergency custody request.

But here’s where the story takes an interesting turn. One day later, Freddie reached out to his father’s lawyers and walked it back. He said he’d“overreacted”in the messages. His mother’s behavior wasn’t what he’d initially described, and he has“no fear”about being in her primary physical custody. That’s a major shift—and it’s the kind of clarification that suggests either youthful exaggeration or pressure from somewhere.

Ricci pushed hard to seal the documents, citing real concerns about her son’s wellbeing. Freddie has experienced bullying from former classmates and is currently in therapy. He’s also starting at a new school. Making those text messages public, Ricci argued, could trigger another round of bullying and harm his mental health. The judge agreed. On Tuesday, June 23, the court sealed the documents and rejected Heerdegen’s emergency custody request outright.

This matters because it underscores something important about family law: just because a child texts something doesn’t mean it’s automatically true or grounds for legal intervention. Kids exaggerate. Kids are influenced by their surroundings. And their words—especially when retracted hours later—shouldn’t necessarily blow up a custody arrangement that’s already settled. The Yellowjackets actress and Heerdegen finalized their divorce in December 2022 with a shared legal custody agreement, though Ricci has final say on education and medical decisions.

The timing also matters. Ricci’s life has moved forward: she married Mark Hampton in October 2021, welcomed their daughter Cleopatra two months later, and received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2025. She’s built a new family and a new life. Heerdegen’s attempt to use his son’s initial text as a lever to upend that arrangement fell flat—not because the court dismissed his concerns out of hand, but because the evidence didn’t hold up.