Padma Lakshmi in Custody Battle

The knives are out.

Padma Lakshmi’s baby daddy has reportedly taken the “Top Chef” host to court for full custody of their 11-month-old daughter, Krishna.

Venture capitalist Michael Dell filed suit Tuesday in Manhattan’s Supreme Court, claiming Lakshmi has limited his visits with Krishna to just seven hours a week, the New York Post reported.

Dell’s lawyer, Bill Zabel, told the paper his client had “tried his best" to keep the dispute out of the courts, but Dell's ex-flame had given him “no other choice.”

"Adam Dell, above all else, wants to have an active and substantial role in the upbringing of his daughter with Padma Lakshmi,” Zabel told the Post. “Unfortunately, Ms. Lakshmi has severely limited his time with their daughter and has refused to negotiate a reasonable co-parenting agreement. “

A source close to Dell told People mag that even though the 41-year-old brother of Dell Inc. mogul Michael Dell filed for full custody he hoped to come to a shared custody agreement.

Dell and Lakshmi reportedly dated briefly in 2009 and he was outed as Krishna’s father in the tabloids. He is said to divide his time between Austin and New York.

Lakshmi famously kept mum on the identity of her baby’s biological father throughout her pregnancy. She now dates IMG head Teddy Forstmann.

"It appears to us that Mr. Dell remains more interested in garnering media attention than working out details to see Krishna or in her welfare," her rep told the Post.

Selected Reading: New York Post, People, E!

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