Christina Ricci obtained a temporary restraining order against her ex-husband, James Heerdegen, citing domestic violence.
O Mermaid, The Addams Family and Sleepy Hollow the actress, who filed for divorce from the filmmaker in July, alleged “serious physical and emotional abuse” that left her fearful for her life and that of her 6-year-old son Freddie, say documents filed on Wednesday and obtained by TMZ and People. A judge granted Ricci’s request, and Heerdegen must be within 100 meters of her and has no right to visit with his son. He must also stay away from the family dog.
Ricci’s lawyer has not yet responded to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment. Heerdegen’s lawyer told TMZ that his client “unequivocally denies all allegations of abuse made by Ms. Ricci as having occurred in 2020.” The lawyer added that they plan to file a restriction request against Ricci “detailing his abusive conduct fueled by alcohol and drugs. His papers will also include documentation that Ms. Ricci advised the authorities in December 2019 that there were no previous incidents domestic violence between the couple, jeopardizing their credibility. “
Wednesday’s filing included a series of photos of Ricci’s alleged injuries, including black and blue marks and cuts on his hands and arms and arms.
In her statement, Ricci, 40, said the alleged abuses began as soon as she learned she was pregnant with her only child in October 2013 – which is also the month they were married.
After that, she said she started to think that he “could kill me”, recalling an incident in which: “he said the only way to feel sorry for me is if I were broken up into small pieces”. This led her to hide “all the knives in the cabin where we were. I feared for my life and for the life of our son. I slept in a separate room with Freddie, and locked the door. “
She said the physical abuse started on December 16, 2019, when Heerdegen “attacked her brutally”.
Ricci said the coronavirus pandemic prevented her from leaving Heerdegen earlier. Although she wanted to divorce months after the alleged attack, she found herself “stuck at home with a man who had abused me physically and emotionally and knew that I wanted to end the marriage”.
She wrote that during the spring, in the midst of the pandemic, Heerdegen “focused exclusively on punishing and terrorizing me 24 hours a day”. Then, on June 2, she claimed that Heerdegen “chased me inside and out” while trying to pick up her phone while she tried to call 911.
“He grabbed my wrists and hands, dragged me and threw my body over the fire we have in the yard,” she wrote. “I suffered cuts, bruises and hip pain, which still causes me pain today.”
There was a second incident on June 25, she said, when she said Heerdegen was following her around the house “yelling at me, spitting on me, throwing coffee at me and throwing a chair at me” while her son was present. After the second incident, in which the police were called, but no arrests were made, she filed for divorce and received an emergency protection order against Heerdegen.
In Wednesday’s filing, Ricci said her problems have continued since she filed for divorce, claiming that Heerdegen “continues to threaten to kidnap” Freddie. Ricci also alleges mistreatment of the family dog, writing that Heerdegen keeps the pet attached to a coffee table when he is visiting his son. The restraining order determines that he must also stay away from the dog.
In addition, she said he was “emotionally unbalanced” this month after finding out that she was spending time with a male friend, sending “hostile text messages containing veiled threats to damage my media reputation”. She asked the court to stop Heerdegen from releasing her private video and audio recordings.
Ricci also asked the judge to grant a change order, Heerdegen, who no longer lives with her, may “not return” to the house they shared. She also asked that he be required to attend a 52-week offender intervention program and submit proof of completion to the court.
On Wednesday, another document was filed in his divorce by the judge ordering them to participate in the mediation.
The next hearing in your divorce case concerns the restraining order and is scheduled for March 10.
For anyone affected by abuse and in need of support, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or if you can’t speak safely, you can call thehotline.org or send LOVEIS to 22522.
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