Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- New York painter and sculptor Jeff Koons's human rights weren't violated by Italy's decision to give custody of his son to his ex-wife, a former porn star and member of the Italian parliament, a court said today.
Koons and Ilona Staller, known as ``La Cicciolina,'' divorced in 1994 and have since fought over custody of their son.
Koons claimed that Italian authorities breached his right to respect of his family life by allowing Staller to keep their son in Italy, blocking him from visiting the U.S. and awarding his ex-wife custody, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, said today in a statement on its Web site.
Italian authorities ``made every effort to protect the higher interests of the child'' in ``a difficult situation marked by constant disagreement between the parties and their inability to put their son's well-being first,'' the court said.
Staller sued Koons in New York in March to enforce an Italian child-support ruling.
A lawyer for Koons, whose works are on display at the Palace of Versailles in France, didn't immediately return a message left requesting comment before regular business hours.
