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After a long, ugly legal battle, actress Kelly Rutherford has been awarded sole custody of her two children.

A California judge has ordered that Rutherford’s son Hermes, 9, and daughter Helena, 5, be immediately returned to Los Angeles. The children have been living with their father, Daniel Giersch, in Monaco since 2012.

Last month, it looked as though Rutherford had lost the legal fight to have her kids relocated to the States after a court ruled that the children should live with their German-born father, as Giersch is legally prohibited from entering the US, and thus would not be able to visit them in LA.

The former Gossip Girl star refused to give up, however, and she reached out to her fans and famous friends to help her cause.

A petition to bring Rutherford’s kids home recently reached 100,000 signatures. Kim Kardashian supported Rutherford on Twitter and publicly pleaded with President Obama to get involved in the custody battle. 

Sources say Rutherford is now bankrupt after spending over $2.5 million in lawyers’ fees in hopes of having her children returned to the States.

Needless to say, the 46-year-old actress has considerable cause for celebration today. Unfortunately, Giersch is almost certain to appeal the judge’s decision, and Rutherford’s legal war is likely far from over.