Sia is fighting back against her estranged husband’s bid for custody of their toddler son. The Grammy-nominated singer filed court documents claiming Daniel Bernad is using her past addiction struggles against her for financial gain.
The couple’s divorce battle escalated when Bernad filed for sole custody of their 19-month-old son Somersault Wonder, known as Summi. He’s requesting $77,245 monthly in child support.
Bernad called Sia “an unfit and unreliable parent struggling with substance abuse and addiction” in his Oct. 27 filing. He claimed she tested positive for barbiturates and benzodiazepines after a two-week hospitalization in September.
“Sia’s conduct is reckless, dangerous and demonstrates Sia’s utter disregard for Summi’s safety and well-being,” Bernad wrote.
Sia responded the next day with her own court declaration.
The 49-year-old singer denied the drug abuse allegations. She admitted to struggling with substances more than 15 years ago but said she’s been sober for six months.
She’s currently in a recovery program with weekly testing and a sober companion.
“My recovery has been a cornerstone of my life and one of the primary reasons I chose to separate from Dan, whose ongoing engagement in a nightlife and recreational drug-use lifestyle is incompatible with a healthy environment for our child,” Sia wrote.
The “Chandelier” singer accused Bernad of weaponizing her past sobriety journey. She said his willingness to bring up decades-old history shows “the extent to which he will go, even at the expense of his child.”
Sia filed for divorce in March after two years of marriage. They initially agreed she’d have full custody of Summi.
Bernad, a former oncologist who says he quit his job at Sia’s request, made several allegations in his filing. He claimed Sia was acting strangely at a celebrity friend’s birthday party in March and was found disoriented on her floor with $15,000 worth of ketamine.
Investigation Allegations
Sia revealed that Bernad was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department and Department of Child and Family Services over child pornography allegations shortly after their separation.
The case was inconclusive and is now closed, but Sia said she still has concerns.
“While I understand the investigations of LAPD and DCFS have been inconclusive and now closed, this does not appease my concerns of Summi spending unsupervised time with Dan,” she wrote.
The singer believes Bernad’s motives are financial. She’s already paid him $300,000 since their March split, according to her filing.
Sia, who adopted two 18-year-old boys in 2019, said every request for more custody time has been tied to money rather than genuine parenting.
Earlier this month, Bernad filed for $250,856 monthly in spousal support, plus $300,000 for legal fees and $200,000 for forensic accounting fees.
Attorneys for both Sia and Bernad didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
