Kelly Rutherford dons smart tweed dress to attend hearing in Monaco alongside supportive boyfriend Tony Brand as her international custody battle continues
She's been embroiled in a lengthy custody dispute over her children Hermes, nine, and Helena, six, for years.
And Kelly Rutherford was hoping for some good news as she attended a hearing in Monaco, where the youngsters reside with her ex-husband, alongside her supportive partner Tony Brand as her legal battle continued on Monday.
The former Gossip Girl actress, who is fighting to bring her children back to the US, donned a smart tweed dress for her court date, teamed with a simple black V-neck jumper and opaque tights.
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Hearing: Kelly Rutherford and her partner Tony Brand attended a hearing in Monaco on Monday as her international custody dispute over her children Hermes, nine, and Helena, six, continued
Kelly, 46, appeared a little nervous ahead of her all-important hearing, keeping her hands in the pockets of her checked dress as she walked along.
The star's boyfriend Tony, who she started dating this summer, cut a smart figure in a navy blazer and cream chinos as he offered his support.
The hearing took place in Monaco because courts in California and New York have ruled the principality has jurisdiction in the case since Hermes and Helena live there with their father, 41-year-old German businessman Daniel Giersch.
Important date: The 46-year-old Gossip Girl actress appeared a little nervous ahead of her hearing
Fighting: Kelly, joined by her new boyfriend Tony Brand, is desperate to bring her children back to the US
Kelly was also accompanied by her brother Anthony Giovanni Deane and attorney Donald Manasse as she made her way to the court.
The actress has been spending time with her kids in the run-up to the hearing, sharing images of them on her Instagram account.
Rutherford and Giersch married in August 2006 and gave birth to their first child, Hermes, two months later in October.
Anxious: Kelly has been fighting her ex Daniel Giersch, a 41-year-old German businessman, for joint custody since 2012
Spanner in the works: The case was complicated in August when Kelly didn't send her children back to their father in Monaco following their five-week holiday with her in the US
While the actress was pregnant with Helena, Rutherford filed for divorce in 2008 and the two have been fighting over guardianship of their two children since.
She's been trying to bring Hermes and Helena back to the U.S. since 2012 when a California judge sent the children to live with their father temporarily in Europe because his US work visa had been revoked.
The relocation was ordered for a period of two years until Giersch was able to apply for a new visa however the restrictions the judge imposed are totally unenforceable in French courts, according to ABC News.
Lengthy battle: Rutherford and her ex Giersch have been fighting since she filed for divorce in 2008 while she was pregnant with their second child
After winning the right to have eight-year-old Hermes and six-year-old Helena spend five weeks with her this summer, Rutherford failed to send them back as scheduled to their father, saying they got 'panicky' at the airport.
She told People after the incident: 'My children ask me all the time if I am still fighting for them. ... I always tell them the day will never come when I say no.'
On August 11, a Manhattan judge ordered her to hand them over to their paternal grandmother who took them back to Monaco.
Not giving up: Kelly has insisted she will never relinquish her fight to co-parent her children, despite her legal battle taking its toll on her finances
The process has been so taxing on her finances that she was forced to file for bankruptcy in May 2013 after seven years of litigation fees reportedly totalling around $1.4million.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair for their November issue, Kelly outlined how draining the legal battle with her ex Giersch has been on her, both emotionally and financially.
'There is no way I am not going to fight to get my children back,' she declared. 'My children and I have lost years of dailiness. How do you get those years back?
The blonde actress said that she did not want any money from the German businessman but instead wanted to be co-parents to their children.
Holding her head high: Kelly was forced to file for bankruptcy in May 2013 after seven years of litigation fees reportedly totalling around $1.4million
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