Musk, St. Clair Skip Court Date as Lawyers Negotiate Child Support
The ongoing custody battle over their two-year-old son, Romulus, saw legal teams meet in Manhattan while the parents were absent.
Elon Musk and Ashley St. Clair were not present for a Manhattan court hearing Thursday where their lawyers convened to negotiate child support as part of an ongoing custody dispute over their two-year-old son, Romulus.
Attorneys for both Musk and St. Clair engaged in settlement talks, with a source familiar with the case describing the progress as "cautiously optimistic." The same source indicated that St. Clair is seeking a substantial financial settlement and that legal teams were scheduled to return to court the following week to finalize an agreement.
The custody battle between Musk, 55, and St. Clair, 28, has been ongoing since early 2025. St. Clair initially sued Musk for sole custody of Romulus. She has also alleged that Musk significantly reduced his child support payments after she filed the lawsuit. Furthermore, St. Clair has claimed that Musk offered her $15 million to keep their child a secret.
In January, Musk, who has 14 children, announced he was seeking full custody of Romulus, reportedly citing St. Clair's expressed support for the transgender community.
Last June, St. Clair stated she declined a $40 million non-disclosure agreement (NDA), in addition to offers of $15 million and $100,000 per month for 20 years, which would have required her to remain silent about their relationship. She explained her decision on "The Don Lemon Show," stating that she prioritized her children's well-being over the financial terms, describing it as a "moral decision."
St. Clair recounted meeting Musk on X, the platform he acquired in 2022. She described him as initially appearing "very funny" and "down to earth," and noted that he frequently responded to her posts. According to St. Clair, Musk expressed a desire for her to have more children, presented himself as a "good dad," and appeared to maintain an "amicable" relationship with the mothers of his other children.
However, St. Clair stated that the dynamic between her and Musk began to change when she became pregnant, sharing on TikTok in May that "things started getting weird" and that "there’s just things that are not adding up or that are different from what he previously said to me."
Musk's other children are with his ex-wife Justine Wilson, singer Grimes, and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. His and Wilson's first child, Nevada Alexander, died in 2002 at 10 weeks old from SIDS.