It took him more than a year, but David Eason has finally responded to his estranged wife Jenelle Evans‘ divorce and custody court complaint— and the fired Teen Mom 2 dad is shaking down Jenelle for custody of their daughter, the majority of their marital assets, child support and more!
The Ashley can exclusively reveal that David— whom Jenelle booted from their shared home on The Land in February 2024, right before she filed for legal separation— finally filed an answer to Jenelle’s initial divorce complaint, as well as a counterclaim this week in court. While the exes have been battling it out in court recently over the restraining order Jenelle currently has out against David, this marks the first time that David has responded to Jenelle’s February 2024 filing, in which she asked for custody of their daughter Ensley, child support, the home on The Land and more.
David— who now has an attorney (who is working on contingency, according to David’s girlfriend Kenleigh Heatwole)— addressed all of Jenelle’s allegations, regarding his treatment of her and the kids, why he hasn’t seen or spoken to Ensley in more than a year and more.
Here, The Ashley will break down some of David’s newly filed court documents.
Custody of Ensley:
David admitted that he has not seen or spoken to Ensley since he split with Jenelle in February 2024. However, he states in his answer that this is Jenelle’s fault, as she included Ensley on the Domestic Violence Protection Order she filed against him.
“[Jenelle] included the minor child, Ensley Eason; therefore, [David] is unable to contact the minor child…” he writes. “…[doing this] made it impossible for [David] to contact [Jenelle] or the minor child….”
David admitted that Jenelle has been the primary caregiver of Ensley for the last year or so. Before that, though, David claimed that he (not Jenelle, as she claimed in her divorce complaint) was the one who cared for Ensley (as well as Kaiser and Jace) before the split.
“[David] has been the primary caregiver of the minor child, Ensley, and the other minor children living in the marital home and was the one responsible for caring for the children, getting the children ready for school, feeding the children, completing homework, etc.,” he writes. “[David] has been the one responsible for the minor child’s daily needs.
“David Eason was the one responsible for ensuring the minor child, Ensley, was dressed, fed, and ready for school and almost always transported the minor child, Ensley, to school and her extra-curricular activities,” he wrote.
This is quite opposite of what Jenelle claimed when she filed for— and received— temporary sole custody of Ensley after an August 2024 court hearing (in which David did not show up for).
“I’m looking to have sole and legal custody of Ensley and I think I’m a fit parent,” Jenelle said on the stand during the hearing. “I think I’ve done most of the raising of Ensley, or all of the raising of Ensley since she’s been born, making sure she’s healthy and doing well in school, and making sure she’s at school on time, making sure she’s in extra-curricular activities. I pay attention to her mental health.”
In his counterclaim, David disagrees, although he did note that both he and Jenelle are ” fit and suitable persons to have the custody and supervision of said minor child.”
He asked that the court decide how custody and visitation of Ensley should be divided between him and Jenelle, given the “circumstances” of their nasty split.
However, he asked that the court grant him the “care, custody and control” of Ensley instead of Jenelle.
In August, the judge ruled that David would not even be eligible to have supervised visitation with Ensley, until he consented to and took a psychological evaluation. (Based on court records obtained by The Ashley, it does not appear that David has done so yet. However, last month Jenelle filed another Cause of Action to demand that David take the test.)
Child Support:
In her initial court filing, Jenelle asked that David pay her child support for the care of Ensley. In his answer filed Wednesday, David stated that Jenelle should pay him child support for their daughter.
David asked that “an order be entered herein awarding reasonable support, maintenance, and subsistence for the minor child of the parties to be paid or secured from the estate, earnings or other income of the Plaintiff, Jenelle Eason, as provided by law.”
“Jenelle Eason is an able-bodied female capable of providing support and maintenance for the use and benefit of [Ensley] when custody of [Ensley] is awarded to the defendant, David Eason. David Eason will be entitled to support from the Plaintiff, Jenelle Eason, for the use and benefit of the minor child,” he wrote.
David did not specify how much child support he wants per month. He did, however, offer to split Ensley’s out-of-pocket medical, dental, counseling and other expenses with Jenelle.
“It is admitted that both parties have skills and trades which would allow them to earn an income sufficient to contribute to the support of the minor child,” David wrote.
His Daughter Maryssa:
As The Ashley reported last year, David was enraged when– after he left their home on The Land for what he thought was a temporary period of time— Jenelle kicked his teen daughter, Maryssa, out of the house. (Jenelle admitted to doing this in her 2024 filing, slamming David for not coming up with a plan for Maryssa’s care following his departure from the home. As The Ashley told you, Jenelle was the one who contacted Maryssa’s mom and stepdad to ask that Maryssa move in with them, and that act angered David.)
In his answer, David seemed to be stating that he thought his departure from The Land was only temporary, and that he was surprised when Jenelle wouldn’t allow him to return home, where Maryssa was living.
“[Jenelle] proceeded to kick out [David’s] 15-year-old daughter,” he wrote.
(It appears that Maryssa is doing well outside of life on The Land. She does still have a relationship with David, something Jenelle criticized the teen for in messages she sent to Maryssa on social media, which were recently leaked online.)
The Land & Other Property:
Last year, Jenelle received temporary use of the couple’s North Carolina property, The Land, although she has not lived there since the spring of 2024, when she and her kids moved to Las Vegas. In February 2024, Jenelle told the court that she was “in need of the sole use, enjoyment and possession of the property for the benefit of [Jenelle] and the minor children.”
She asked the court grant her legal possession of the home, and noted that David has stated that he will not let her have the house willingly.
In his answer, David asked that the court divide the marital and divisible property unequally, in favor of him. (David is currently living at his girlfriend Kenleigh’s home, by the way.)
Court Fees, Attorney Costs, Etc.:
David— who was voluntarily unemployed nearly the entire time he was with Jenelle— admits that he doesn’t have the money to pay for all the legal expenses he has from this divorce and court case, so he’s asking that Jenelle shell out for his court costs.
“David Eason…acting in good faith, who has insufficient means to defray the expense of this suit, including reasonable attorney’s fees, and the Plaintiff, Jenelle Eason, should be required to defray the expense of this suit, including a reasonable attorney’s fees, when applicable.”
Jenelle and David are next scheduled to meet face-to-face in a North Carolina courtroom to discuss this case next month.
The Ashley will have more info on this coming…stay tuned.
