Michael Buckner/Getty ImagesMelissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels are finally playing nice.
E! News confirms the rocker and her ex-spouse have finally settled their increasingly bitter custody battle over who should raise their 5-year-old twins, Johnnie Rose and Miller Steven.
The deal ends a vicious, public dispute that had been set to come to a head in court today.
A notice of settlement was filed this morning as a scheduled hearing between the two sides was taken off the calendar. Attorneys for Etheridge, 50, and Michaels, 37, did not immediately comment on the deal, and terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Word of a resolution comes just as court docs filed this week shed light on the depth of the estrangement between the two as they included copies of emails the pair exchanged over how they might divvy up parental responsibilities.
In a petition to the court, Melissa noted that Michaels "voiced her vehement opposition to sharing equal custody," believing she is the "primary mother and should unilaterally decided [sic] what is best for the children and control their schedule." Michaels had previously insisted that she gave up her acting career (she's best known for roles on Popular and The L Word) to dedicate her time to the children.
Etheridge, meanwhile, also claimed Michaels accused the Grammy- and Oscar-winning rocker of "having no maternal instinct" and "grabbing away [Michaels'] time" with the children.
Etheridge said Michaels refused to grant makeup visits after Etheridge missed appointments because of her tour schedule.
"You have to support so many households because YOU BROKE SO MANY HOUSEHOLDS, silly," Michaels allegedly wrote, per the court filing. "You know, Melissa, that I did not give birth to these two children to give them away to your various staff members and girlfriends to raise."
Etheridge had asked the court to grant her more time with her son and daughter, and sought an order barring both parties from being allowed to smoke in the kids' presence or at either of their residences, adding she made the stipulation after Michaels accidentally burned one of the children with her cigarette.
In April, Tammy filed a brief stating that she couldn't get by on the $23,000 per month the crooner was paying in support and accused Etheridge of parental negligence and using abusive language in front of the children.
For the kids' sake, we're glad the two exes are putting this mess behind them.
—Reporting by Claudia Rosenbaum