Lead: Lia Jones, star of Married to Medicine: Los Angeles, filed court documents reported March 14, 2026, seeking to modify her child custody arrangement with ex-husband Colin Dias. She asks the court for a 50/50 split of both legal and physical custody, saying she has completed court-ordered programs and seeks more time with their two children. The filing alleges the children were relocated to Lake Elsinore, California, and describes concerns about their emotional wellbeing. A judge has ordered mediation and set a hearing in May to consider the request.
Key Takeaways
- Lia Jones filed for joint legal and physical custody, requesting a 50/50 custody arrangement with ex-husband Colin Dias.
- The couple have two children; Jones says she has been driving about four hours round trip from Los Angeles several times a week to see them.
- Jones reports her son received multiple school detentions for fighting and that suicidal messages were found on his phone, which she says Dias did not know about.
- The original divorce settlement awarded Dias sole legal and physical custody and included a restraining order and conditions on Jones’ access.
- Jones says she completed a 52-week domestic violence course, therapy, parenting and anger-management classes and has had three years of monitored visits.
- The court has ordered mediation and scheduled a hearing for May to address Jones’ petition for expanded custody.
Background
Jones, a cast member of the reality series Married to Medicine: Los Angeles, has been involved in a contentious divorce and custody dispute after the court awarded sole legal and physical custody to her former spouse, Colin Dias. That settlement followed litigation that included a restraining order and conditions that limited Jones’ unsupervised contact with the children. Over the past three years she has participated in supervised visits while completing programs the court required as part of her path to regain broader parenting time.
Custody modification petitions in California require the petitioner to show a substantial change in circumstances or that a modification better serves the children’s best interests. Parents, judges and other stakeholders in such cases weigh safety records, evidence of rehabilitation, the children’s ties to each parent, and school or mental-health concerns when considering adjustments to custody and visitation schedules.
Main Event
According to court documents obtained and reported by TMZ on March 14, 2026, Jones formally asked a judge to replace the existing sole-custody order with a 50/50 legal and physical custody arrangement. In the filing she stresses that while Dias meets the children’s financial needs, she believes their emotional and day-to-day needs require greater maternal involvement. The petition describes a closer, more supportive relationship between Jones and the children than reflected in the original settlement.
The filing also alleges that Dias moved the children to Lake Elsinore, California, which Jones says increased the travel burden and limited her opportunities for regular contact; she reports driving roughly four hours round trip multiple times per week to maintain the relationship. The documents assert disciplinary incidents at school and discovery of troubling messages on the older child’s phone, which Jones says his father did not know about.
Jones details completion of a 52-week domestic violence program, ongoing therapy, parenting classes and anger-management work, and points to three years of monitored visits as evidence of sustained compliance with court conditions. In response to the petition, the judge has ordered mediation between the parties and scheduled a custody hearing for May to resolve whether the arrangement should change.
Analysis & Implications
Legally, Jones’ petition will be evaluated under California’s standard of the child’s best interest. A court considering a custody modification will examine whether there has been a material change in circumstances since the original order and whether granting joint custody would promote stability and wellbeing. Jones’ completion of court-ordered programs and sustained supervised contact are relevant rehabilitative factors the court may weigh positively.
Allegations about the children’s relocation and disciplinary issues at school raise two separate concerns for a judge: the effect of geographic moves on custody logistics and the children’s emotional and behavioral health. If the record establishes that limited maternal access has coincided with emotional strain or behavioral incidents, the court may view expanded maternal involvement as potentially beneficial, though evidence must be corroborated.
Mediation, now ordered, gives both parents an opportunity to negotiate a parenting plan without the uncertainty of a contested hearing. Outcomes can vary widely: parties often reach shared-care agreements in mediation, but if mediation fails the judge will decide based on evidence, expert testimony if any, and custody evaluations. Given the prior restraining order and sole-custody ruling, Jones faces a higher evidentiary burden to convince the court the change serves the children’s best interests.
Comparison & Data
| Item | Current (Divorce Settlement) | Requested |
|---|---|---|
| Legal custody | Sole custody to Colin Dias | 50/50 joint legal custody |
| Physical custody | Sole physical custody to Dias | Equal (50/50) physical custody |
| Visitation | Monitored visits for ~3 years | Unrestricted shared physical custody sought |
| Court-ordered programs | Conditions previously imposed | Jones reports completion of 52-week program, therapy, parenting and anger-management classes |
The table summarizes the legal shift Jones requests: moving from sole custody with monitored contact to equal legal and physical responsibility. These contrasts highlight the evidentiary focus the court will apply at mediation and, if necessary, at the May hearing.
Reactions & Quotes
The filing itself provides the most direct statements of intent and concern from Jones. Below are brief excerpts taken from the court documents as reported in media coverage.
“I am seeking a 50/50 legal and physical custody arrangement.”
Court filing reported by TMZ
“Suicidal messages were found on his phone,”
Court filing reported by TMZ
These excerpts reflect allegations and positions presented to the court; they are claims from Jones’ filing and have not been independently verified by court order at the time of reporting.
Unconfirmed
- Whether Colin Dias was fully unaware of the suicidal messages on the child’s phone remains unverified beyond Jones’ filing.
- The motives behind the children’s move to Lake Elsinore are described in the filing but the claim that the move was intended “to get away from” Jones is not independently confirmed.
- Any additional evidence of the children’s school incidents or mental-health evaluations has not been publicly disclosed and remains unconfirmed.
Bottom Line
Jones’ petition represents a formal attempt to move from restricted, monitored visitation toward an equal parenting arrangement after completing court-ordered programs and a multiyear period of supervised contact. The court’s choice to order mediation and set a May hearing signals that the judge expects the parties either to negotiate a settlement or present evidence in court.
What to watch next: records and testimony presented at mediation or the May hearing, any custody evaluation or expert reports, and whether the parties can reach a negotiated parenting plan. Because the central legal test is the children’s best interest, the court will closely scrutinize the claims, corroborating evidence and professional evaluations before altering the existing arrangement.
Sources
- TMZ — Entertainment news outlet reporting on court filings and custody petition (March 14, 2026)