Jax Taylor hired a powerhouse attorney days after he mistakenly handed over all rights to custody to his estranged wife, Brittany Cartwright, due to him filling out his legal paperwork by himself, In Touch can exclusively report.
Jax, 45, hired L.A. lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan to represent him in court, according to court documents obtained by In Touch.
Mark has represented many celebrity clients over the years. One of his biggest cases involves his client Kevin Federline, the second ex-husband of Britney Spears.
Mark has been instrumental in Kevin, 46, securing substantial support increases from the pop star over the years.
As In Touch first reported, Brittany, 35, filed for divorce from Jax on August 27 after five years of marriage. The exes share one son, Cruz Michael Cauchi.
In her petition, Brittany cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. She listed the date of separation as January 24, 2024. She asked the court to award her primary legal and physical custody of their son.
Brittany said Jax could have visitation with their son. She also asked the neither party be awarded spousal support.
Earlier this week, Jax’s response to Brittany’s petition was filed in the case. His paperwork was filled out with a pen and without the help of a lawyer. He listed a different separation date as Brittany.
Jax said they split on September 26, unlike his ex, who claimed they split in January.
He also checked the boxes indicating Brittany could have sole legal and physical custody of their son.
After news of his filing broke, Jax’s rep quickly issued a statement saying the reality star made “errors” on his paperwork.
The rep said, “Jax and Brittany have already long resolved all matters related to custody of Cruz, and will continue to work together privately for the best interest of their son, which remains their overriding concern.”
The rep added, “While Jax made errors in filling out forms that are usually done by trained legal professionals, those errors will be amended without delay.”
Now, in his amended filing, Jax said he wanted the court to award him joint legal custody. He also checked “other” when asked for his proposal on physical custody of Cruz.
He said Brittany can have final decision making authority after consulting with him on the issue. Jax also asked that neither party be awarded spousal support in the settlement.
He also asked the court to award him all property he acquired by gift and all property he earned before and after the separation.
His lawyer wrote, “The exact nature and extent of Respondent’s separate property assets and obligations are currently undetermined. [Jax] will seek leave of court to amend the Response or file appropriate pleadings when said separate property assets and obligations are ascertained.”
The exes got engaged in 2018 and wed in 2019. The drama from their split was being filmed for season 2 of Bravo’s The Valley.
Earlier this month, Jax told fans he completed treatment for mental health issues.
He wrote, “A little over a month ago, I checked into an intensive inpatient treatment facility scared of the unknown and what I would find out about myself. After many years of knowing something was wrong but not knowing exactly what it was, I recently learned that I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and PTSD.”
