Christopher Polk/Getty ImagesAriel Winter's father doesn't want her to go live with her sister.
Instead, Glenn Workman has filed an objection to Shanelle Gray's bid to become her little sis' permanent guardian, stating that he wants the court to "allow [him] the chance to function as a healthy parent and help Ariel through this ordeal."
In his court filing, obtained Monday by E! News, Workman, who has not been living with the Modern Family star and her mom, denies Gray's allegation that he is estranged from Ariel and unable to properly care for her.
"I am her biological father and have always strived to be a constant in her life," Workman states, describing himself as having always "loved her, cared for her, supported her, and assisted her busy lifestyle." He states that he's willing to "move back to the family residence" in order to be with her.
Ariel's older brother, Jimmy Workman, told a judge in a written statement Monday he did not believe Shanelle was the right person to have custody. "I have NEVER seen any physical or emotional abuse in the home of my parents regarding Ariel," he told the court.
A hearing on Gray's guardianship petition, pegged largely to her allegations that their mother, Chrisoula Workman, had been physically and emotionally abusive toward Ariel, is scheduled for tomorrow.
Multiple declarations from people such as Ariel's older brother, her mother's brother, her godfather and her pediatrician were filed today on Chrisoula's behalf in L.A. Superior Court—all of them object to or cast doubt on Gray's claims of abuse.
Workman doesn't support Gray's claims, either, instead describing the soap opera actress's relationship with her mother as "volatile."
"The whole situation has turned into a circus and places Ariel in a position she should not have to be in," he states. "Ariel needs a safe haven. A place where she can find complete acceptance and a loving environment. I can provide that for her, as her Father."
He further states that, no matter what the court decides regarding Gray, he believes that there isn't "anyone better to take care of [Ariel] than her mother and I...I believe it is in Ariel's best interests are served by remaining in the custody of her loving parents."
After learning that she had been temporarily stripped of custody last month, Chrisoula told a judge that she felt Ariel was making her pay for interfering in her relationship with an older boyfriend.
"I threw him out and I broke them up," she said during an emergency hearing on Gray's initial guardianship petition. "And ever since I did that, I've paid. And, you know, I had to do it."
As for Ariel, who has since broken up with her 19-year-old beau? A source told E! News today that the teen "is in a great place, very safe and very happy."