Soap Alum Shanelle Workman Given Temporary Guardianship Of Younger Sister Ariel Winter From MODERN FAMILY

Ariel Winter, the 14-year-old actress who plays middle sibling Alex Dunphy in MODERN FAMILY, has been removed from her home by a judge in the wake of serious allegations of physical and emotional abuse by her mother, court sources tell TMZ.

Court sources tell us ... on October 3rd, after a guardianship hearing, a judge determined the allegations that Ariel was being physically and emotionally abused by her mother Crystal Workman were serious enough that the judge placed Ariel in a temporary guardianship with her older sister Shanelle Workman. Our sources tell us ... mama Crystal was ordered to stay 100 yards away from Ariel.

Ironically, we've learned Shanelle suffered the same alleged abuse as Ariel. Nearly two decades ago, the Department of Children and Family Services removed her from Crystal's home based on similar abuse allegations. Law enforcement sources tell us ... D.C.F.S. placed Shanelle in foster care for more than 2 years. She never went back to her mother.

According to court records, the judge has set another hearing for November 20.

Workman, who is 34, played Gaby in THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL and Sarah (aka Flash) in ONE LIFE TO LIVE. NASHVILLE's Hayden Panettiere played the role of Sarah Roberts before Workman.

UPDATES:
"It's all untrue, it's all untrue," Chris Workman tells PEOPLE magazine, which refers to Workman as Shanelle Gray.

According to court papers filed Oct. 3 in Los Angeles, Winter – who plays Alex Dunphy on the hit show – alleges her mother subjected her to "ongoing physical abuse (slapping, hitting, pushing) and emotional abuse (vile name-calling, personal insults about minor and minor's weight, attempts to 'sexualize' minor, deprivation of food, etc.) for an extended period of time."

A judge last month granted Ariel's older sister, Shanelle Gray, temporary guardianship and ordered Workman not to contact her daughter until further notice.

But Workman tells PEOPLE, "I have my doctor's letter that my daughter's never been abused. … I have stylists' letters that she's never been abused."

According to the papers, a judge granted Gray guardianship until a follow-up hearing Nov. 20 and ordered that Workman refrain from contacting Ariel pending further court order.

Us Weekly has another update, this time for Ariel and Shanelle's brother, Jimmy Workman, who played Pugsley in The Addams Family movie.

"There is no truth to these allegations," he said. "The allegations made 20 years ago are not true and the ones today are not true."

According to TMZ's report, Gray was also removed from Workman's home as a young child based on similar abuse claims.

"This is a mother who does everything for her kids," Jimmy told Us. He added about their mother, "Chris misses Ariel and wants her to come home."

Ariel's mom Chrystal Workman released a statement today.

“I love my daughter very much. I would never abuse her in anyway and I have always tried my best to always protect her and do what is right for her."

She explained, "My fourteen-year-old daughter has been dating an eighteen-and-a-half-year-old man, and when I caught them engaging in behavior that I feel my daughter is too young mentally and physically to understand and fully grasp I put a stop to it immediately."

Chrystal doesn't identify the boyfriend ... but says she filed a report with the LA County Sheriff's Department "because legally he is an adult and if he wants to engage in adult behavior with a minor than [sic] he should also be ready to suffer adult consequences for his actions."

According to the incident report, Chrystal walked in on Ariel and the boyfriend in bed, in the guest room of her home ... on Sept. 24 at around 10pm.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the Sheriff's Special Victims' Bureau does have an open investigation into Chrystal's allegations.