Biniyam “Bini” Shibre, and his fiancee, Ariela Weinberg, have been on screens for two seasons: 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way and the original 90 Day Fiance. Bini is happy to finally be in America. One of his reasons for wanting to come to America is to hopefully reunite with his son, Simon, who is now five years old.
It looks like viewers will be following Bini’s journey to see his son this season, and he has officially petitioned the courts for help in getting to finally be a father to Simon.
Biniyam Shibre has filed for joint custody of his son
Bini officially filed for joint custody of Simon in September 2021, likely around the time that he and Ariela moved back to the United States. The filing asked for this new agreement, which is a stark difference from the full custody that ex-wife Bria currently has.
The filing requests, in part, “there have been material, permanent changes in circumstances not existing at the time of the Order with respect to the following: the Petitioner now resides in the United States; the Respondent does not allow the Petitioner any access to the parties’ minor child.”
This suggests that since Bini lives now in the United States, there is no reason that Simon’s mom should not let Simon see his father.
It continues, “[Bini] requests the Court modify the Order to establish joint legal custody and a reasonable parenting time schedule between the minor child and the Petitioner, along with regular access.”
The document states that this change would be in Simon’s best interest, and Bini has the ability to take care of Simon properly.
Ex-wife Bria filed an injunction two weeks later, which would prohibit Bini from several things while the courts decide custody. To summarize the requests, Bini cannot remove Simon from school, discuss Simon on television, or harass Bria or her current husband. Bria’s injunction does forbid Bini from talking about Simon pointedly, but it would not prevent him from talking about his custody battle indirectly.
Bini listed his income as zero dollars, while living in the apartment he shares with Ariela and their son, Avi, in Princeton. Viewers will have to stay tuned to see what Bini and Ariela can reveal about their legal battle. The custody case is open and scheduled for trial on October 26th and 27th of this year.
What happened between Bini and his ex-wife?
Bini revealed on 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, that he had not seen or communicated with his son Simon since he was forced to return to Ethiopia when his temporary visa expired. Bini met his first wife, Bria, in 2014 and they married in June 2016 in Ethiopia. The pair were bound for Iowa a few months later for a wedding, but a then-pregnant Bria returned home alone when Bini’s visa was denied.
During an ultrasound in the US, Bria discovered their son would be born with an intestinal birth defect, and Bini was granted a temporary visa, called humanitarian parole when an Iowan politician stepped in to help Bini due to the nature of the issue. While in the US, Bini and Bria had a traditional American wedding in July 2017.
When Bini returned to Ethiopia, Bria filed for divorce and full custody of Simon, which was awarded to her. At that point, Bini would not see his son again. Bria later remarried and had another child and lives in Iowa, where Bini intends to see Simon if the courts rule in his favor.
90 Day Fiance airs Sunday nights at 8/7c on TLC.