Dwight Howard’s ex Tiffany Render rushed to court and filed for temporary custody of their daughter, Layla, after claiming the 15-year-old felt “unsafe” with her father, Us Weekly can confirm.
Render filed the emergency custody modification on Monday, March 16, alleging in documents obtained exclusively by Us that Layla repeatedly stated she feels “fearful” and “distressed” when she returns to Howard’s home.
“The situation has also resulted in involvement by the Georgia Division of Family and Children (DFACS),” she claimed.
Render stated that she’s concerned about Layla’s “emotional wellbeing and safety,” requesting she be granted temporary custody of their daughter on an emergency basis “to ensure she remains in a safe and supportive environment.”
She also filed an affidavit signed by Layla that stated her mother had not threatened, encouraged or promised her anything to petition the temporary custody request.
On Tuesday, March 17, the court denied Render’s emergency order.
“There are neither allegations nor evidence qualifying as emergent,” the response obtained by Us read. “Plaintiff failed to file the controlling custody order she seeks to modify.”
The court also noted that it was not apparent from the filing whether it even had jurisdiction to fulfill the request.
However, if Render files additional documentation supporting her claims, the court will reconsider.
Us reached out to Howard’s rep and to Render for comment.
The filing comes just weeks after Howard’s estranged wife, Amber Luciani, alleged during an Instagram Live that he had a drug issue and that Child Protective Services had removed his daughter from their home.
He later responded to Luciani’s accusations.
“Never done Coke in my life,” Howard wrote via Snapchat on March 11. Howard also urged his followers not to believe everything they read online.
As Us reported, the former NBA star filed for divorce from Luciani on March 9, marking the third time they have attempted to end their marriage after just one year. (Howard previously filed for divorce in June 2025 and it was later dismissed. Luciani filed for divorce in July 2025, but her petition was also dismissed.)
In the latest filing, Howard listed their union as “irretrievably broken” and claimed there was “no hope of reconciliation.”
He also requested exclusive access to their marital home and listed their date of marriage as on or about January 11, 2025.
While the eight-time NBA All-Star shares no children with Luciani, he has five kids with five different women.
Last year, Render spoke about coparenting with Howard, claiming he was “never a great father.”
The pair have had a contentious relationship since 2022 after he sought to drastically reduce his monthly child support payments from $12,000 to $3,000. Render agreed to the deal in July 2023, per court documents.
“I was probably the only baby mama that was close to him and stayed his friend,” she told In Touch in March 2025. “I thought that kept me safe. I felt safe.”
Render said that she planned to fight for full custody of their daughter. (Howard was awarded primary custody of Layla in January 2024.)
“I was really upset with the decision,” she added.
Howard’s legal team responded to Render’s interview at the time, telling the outlet: “While [Dwight] vehemently disputes the allegations made by [Tiffany] … he will not speak negatively about [Tiffany] publicly or otherwise, as it is his belief that the sanctity of Court Orders, as well as the integrity of the parties’ agreement to behave in a way that benefits their daughter, whom they both love immensely, should be paramount.”
His team continued, “While we understand that the world is inherently interested in [Dwight’s] personal life, I can assure you that he desires for his family to deal with these matters privately and surrounded by the truth rather than propaganda. Thus, [Dwight] will preserve his arguments for the appropriate venue, and will refrain from further comment.”
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