Well, we think it’s safe to say that the judge who decided this case has never watched a single episode of Jersey Shore.
According to a new report from UK tabloid The Sun, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro has been awarded primary physical custody of his four-year-old daughter Ariana.
Granted, the girl’s mother, Jenn Harley is quite a piece of work in her own right.
(And by that we mean Harley has been arrested for assault multiple times, including the infamous incident in which she dragged Ronnie with her car during a fight in a parking lot.)
But based on what we’ve seen during the last few seasons of Shore, it’s hard to feel good about this ruling.
“This order is made with the knowledge that Ariana will be starting school soon and needs a primary residence with one parent,” the judge said in issuing his decision.
“Ariana will be with father at all times.”
It’s possible that the girl is better off with Ronnie than she is with her mother — but it’s also possible that she would be better off with literally anyone on the planet than with either of these two.
Ron has also been arrested for assault on multiple occasions, most recently when he allegedly attacked ex-fiancee Saffire Matos.
Magro has been almost entirely absent from the current season of Shore, but to the utter shock of many viewers, Ronnie has not been fired from the show.
He made a brief appearance earlier this season to confirm to Mike Sorrentino that he’s sober after a stint in rehab.
Clearly, producers decided it would be best if Ron took a hiatus from the show in the wake of his latest legal troubles, but multiple sources have confirmed that he will return to the series soon.
Ronnie announced in May that “seek medical treatment for mental health issues” he had “ignored too long.”
He and Saffire were rumored to have separated in April after his most recent arrest, but they didn’t announce the end of their engagement until June.
“My number one goal now is facing my struggles head on,” he said at the time.
“This process will be difficult, but my #1 priority is to get healthy and be the best man and the best father I can for my daughter,” Magro continued.
While Ronnie will have Ariana for most of the school year, and he and Jenn will alternate two weeks on, two weeks off in the summer.
“During the school year, the mother will have custody every second, third, fourth and fifth weekend from Friday at 6 pm until Sunday at 6 pm,” the judge said.
“Parents have joint legal custody and in the event of a disagreement father shall have tiebreaker authority after making a good faith effort to meet and confer.”
Sadly, this means that Ariana will be doing a lot of shuttling back and forth between California and Nevada.
But if Ronnie is able to get his act together and control his temper for his daughter’s sake, then she might finally get to enjoy the kind of stability she deserves.