Former model and Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi gave birth to daughter Krishna last February but declined to identify the baby’s father publicly. Shortly after the baby was born, however, media outlets reported that Adam Dell, a venture capitalist who splits his time between Austin and New York City, was the baby’s father.

Dell is the brother of Dell Computers founder Michael Dell and is a business/law/technology professor at both the University of Texas School of Law and Columbia University’s Business School. Lakshmi and Dell apparently dated for some time in 2009 but were not a couple at the time of Krishna’s birth.

Last spring, it was suggested in news reports that Lakshmi and Dell has reached a private custody agreement which gave Dell visitation. Now, it appears that Dell is unsatisfied with that initial agreement as he has filed documents in New York, seeking a custody order.

Dell was apparently never happy with the amount of time he was allowed to spend with Krishna under the initial agreement. The filing reportedly asks for sole custody of the 11-month-old but sources indicate that Dell hopes that the parties can work out a shared custody arrangement. He filed after negotiations allegedly reached a stalemate.

According to sources, Dell now gets to see Krishna for seven hours a week. “He’s allowed nine visits a month and no longer than three and half hours,” the source says, adding that scheduling visitation is sometimes difficult as Lakshmi travels often for work.

Some reports indicate that Lakshmi is willing to work out a mutually agreeable arrangement but increased time right now is difficult because Lakshmi is still breast-feeding Krishna. (It is not unusual for visitation time to increase after a child stops breastfeeding.)

Lakshmi was married to author Salman Rushdie from 2004 to 2007. She has been linked to wealthy businessman Teddy Forstmann (who is 30 years her senior) since before Krishna was born (and even, according to some reports, while she was still linked to Dell).

Library Topics: custody and visitation, sole custody, shared custody

See Also:

• Father of Padma Lakshmi’s Baby Identified