Bristol Palin 'Going Rogue' From Levi Johnston?
Sarah Palin's oldest daughter in a custody fight with former lover Johnston.
Dec. 29, 2009— -- It appears Sarah Palin might not be the only one in her family "going rogue."
Now the former Alaska governor's 18-year-old daughter Bristol wants to distance herself further from ex-lover Levi Johnston in what court documents show has become a heated custody battle over their 1-year-old son Tripp.
Bristol filed a legal petition Nov. 3 seeking sole custody of her son and child support payments from Johnston in accordance with Alaska law.
She also asked the Alaska court to keep the proceedings closed -- a request which was denied on Christmas Eve.
"Unfortunately, despite Bristol's interest in keeping this matter private, Levi has requested that this matter remain public," Palin's lawyer Lisa C. Hamby told ABC News.
"Bristol's petition for custody only asks for the status quo: primary custody with Bristol while allowing Levi visitation with Tripp," Hamby said. Bristol says her ex-fiance has only made "sporadic" visits to see their child.
For his part, Johnston, 19, insists in court documents that he has fulfilled his fatherly responsibilities and wants to retain shared custody of Tripp.
Bristol and Johnston were thrust into the national spotlight late last year after their pregnancy was announced days after Sarah Palin, then Alaska's governor, was named Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate.
The couple called off their engagement soon after their son Tripp Easton Mitchell was born.
Since the campaign, the relationship between Sarah Palin and the father of her grandchild has become severely strained, escalating into a full-blown war of words in the media.
Johnston has publicly accused Palin of calling her son Trig "the retarded baby" and also alleged that the Palins are on the verge of divorce – accusations which Palin denied in a November interview with ABC's Barbara Walters.
Related Stories
ABC News Live