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Christina Ricci Slams Ex-Husband James Heerdegen Over ‘False Allegations’ in Custody War
Christina Ricci accused her ex-husband, James Heerdegen, of making false allegations against her in their never-ending custody battle over their son, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Heerdegen is making moves to increase his custody time. At the moment, he has one monthly overnight visit but wants visitation every other weekend.
In addition, he wants to take an extended trip with their son over the summer. Ricci, 44, said she did not oppose the requests as long as the child’s therapist approved. However, Ricci informed the court that her ex had fired off a nasty email about her to their son’s court-appointed lawyer.
The lawyer emailed Heerdegen a copy of a recent report that the lawyer submitted to the court. In response, Heerdegen wrote, “I propose that [the child’s therapist] attend court so that she can lie again on record (while stammering like a fool) in front of the judge. There is little accountability in this case … Further, Christina Ricci’s alcohol abuse has worsened, and her behavior is again deteriorating, according to [their son].”
He added, “I am formally requesting the minor’s counsel contact [the child] again and ask him about substance abuse in his mother’s home.” Ricci said that the email contained “false allegations” regarding her and the child’s therapist. She said despite the email, she still supports any recommendation on visitation submitted by the child’s therapist.
Heerdegen has yet to respond.
Ricci met her ex-husband in 2011 while working on the television show, Pan Am. The two got hitched in 2013. They share a minor son.
In 2020, Ricci filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences.” She demanded sole legal and physical custody of their son. At the same time, the actress pleaded for a restraining order against Heerdegen over alleged abuse during their marriage. Ricci claimed the abuse started in December 2019.
In court documents, she claimed he spit on her and made pig noises to her. She said he beat her multiple times. He denied the claims. A Los Angeles judge granted Ricci a restraining order that instructed her ex to stay 100 yards away from her. Heerdegen filed his own restraining order against Ricci claiming she was the abusive one.
According to TMZ, he claimed Ricci’s alleged drinking caused the issues. Ricci opposed his request claiming the evidence proved she was telling the truth. Her layer, Samantha Spector, told TMZ about Heerdegen’s claims, “This filing is nothing more than a transparently abusive attempt to silence my client. It will not work. Christina will not be intimidated by Mr. Heerdegen and his barrage of misleading claims – and she remains determined to protect her family.”
A judge denied Heerdegen’s petition. In December 2022, the exes hashed out a divorce settlement that covered support and custody. Per their deal, the two split the proceeds from the sale of a New York home. In addition, Ricci agreed to pay her ex a one-time lump sum of $190,000. He also kept his Subaru. Neither party was ordered to pay spousal or child support. The two agreed to joint legal custody and split physical custody — with Ricci being awarded the majority of time with their son.
In January 2023, Ricci demanded Heerdegen’s overnight visits with their son be suspended.
He objected and accused her of “repeated attempts at parental alienation” — which she denied. The judge ended up granting Ricci’s request to suspend overnight visits. In the following months, Heerdegen accused Ricci of allowing their son to spend 12 hours on the set of her television show Yellowjackets.
Later, Ricci demanded her ex submit to a psychiatric evaluation “[Heerdegen] cannot be trusted to tell this Court the truth about anything. He is an angry, vindictive person who will only seek to blame others for his problems,” she said.
In March, Heerdegen scored a major victory in his battle to regain overnight visits with their son. “[Heerdegen’s] request for a monthly overnight visit with the minor child is granted. The parties shall meet and confer regarding the scheduling of the once monthly, weekend overnight visit,” the judge ruled. The judge instructed Ricci and her ex to not talk negatively about the other. The case is ongoing.
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