Christina Ricci's Estranged Husband Denied Restraining Order After amid Domestic Violence Allegations

Christina Ricci and James Heerdegen in 2019.Photo: Rich Fury/Getty

Christina Ricci’s estranged husbandJames Heerdegenhas been denied a restraining order against the actress amid a domestic violence dispute.

In his filing, Heerdegen claims Ricci “would drink in excess on an almost daily basis” that would lead to alleged “rants and raves” from the actress toward him and their 6-year-old son Freddie.

He also accused Ricci of “weaponizing her status, reputation and ties to press in an effort to control me and do her bidding most often related to our son.”

Christina Ricci; James Heerdegen.Getty Images (2)

The cinematographer alleges Ricci’s restraining order against him was a ““preemptive fabricated strike” against me in order to control custody” of their son.

Under Ricci’s own restraining order, Heerdegen must stay 100 yards away from the actress, and he will also have no visitation rights with their son Freddie and must stay away from the family’s dog, PEOPLE confirmed on Wednesday.

In her declaration in her filing, Ricci claimed the alleged abuse started as soon as she learned of her pregnancy in October 2013.

“I began to feel extremely isolated,” Ricci wrote of the alleged subsequent abuse, describing a family vacation in New Zealand where Heerdegen “said something that made me think” he “could kill me.”

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“He said the only way he could feel sorry for me is if I were dismembered into small pieces,” wrote Ricci in the declaration. “That night I hid all the knives in the cabin where we were staying. I feared for my life and the life of our son. I slept in a separate bedroom with Freddie, and I locked the door.”

Ricci detailed several instances of alleged abuse, including an incident on June 25 where the actress said Heerdegen followed her around the house “all morning, screaming at me, spitting on me, throwing coffee at me, and throwing a chair at me” in the presence of their son.

At the time, Ricci said she called 911 and was granted an emergency protective order against Heerdegen. She filed for divorce a week later in July 2020.

In the filing, Ricci also alleged Heerdegen “became emotionally unhinged” in early January after finding out she had been spending time with a male friend, becoming “increasingly hostile and erratic” including sending the actress “hostile text messages containing veiled threats to harm my reputation in the media.”

She asked a judge to grant a move out order so that Heerdegen may “not return” to the home she currently resides in and has requested the court order the cinematographer to attend a 52-week batterer intervention program and show proof of completion to the court.

“Mr. Heerdegens' papers will also reflect Ricci’s attempts at coercive control through the use of the couple’s six year old son,” Bakman’s statement continued. “Unfortunately, Ms. Ricci has a propensity to utilize the child as a pawn in order to punish and control James.”

“My client unequivocally denies Ms. Ricci’s allegations of abuse either in 2020 and/or since the inception of the couple’s marriage as claimed in Ricci’s moving papers filed yesterday. Ricci’s request for a domestic violence restraining order is nothing more than Ricci’s latest attempt to control James and interfere in his relationship with the couple’s son through the use of fabricated domestic violence allegations,” the statement concluded.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com