KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The ex-wife of U.S. Senate Candidate Eric Greitens said she has picture proof and other documents to support claims that the former Missouri Governor was abusive to her and at least one of their sons.
The information was included in a court document filed March 30. It also includes a number of other accusations and information Sheena Greitens claims proves her ex-husband is lying in an effort to discredit her, and others.
In a sworn affidavit filed last month in part of an ongoing child custody dispute in Missouri, Sheena claimed her ex-husband was physically abusive to her and at least one of their sons.
When the information in the affidavit became public, the Senate candidate fired back, also publically. He claimed his ex-wife was “deranged” and that she has a “documented history of mental illness.”
Sheena Greitens addressed those claims by filing a petitioner’s response in court.
She described the claims as “attacks” by Eric and denied any history of mental illness in the document. Sheena Greitens did say she received professional help in January of 2018 as she was working to determine if her marriage was salvageable. She said the help continues as she tried to cope with “the traumatic consequences of Eric’s behavior,” according to the court documents filed on March 30.
Eric Greitens also addressed the claims of abuse that were made in Sheena’s affidavit. Greitens claims his ex-wife never reported any of the allegations of abuse, or lied about it.
“Sheena Greitens lied in a sworn affidavit alleging abusive behavior that never happened. Her false story is contradicted by numerous photographs, videos, medical and dental records, and even Sheena’s own emails,” Tim Parlatore, Attorney for Eric Greitens, said Tuesday.
In the legal response Sheena filed on March 30, she said abuse claims were reported to multiple lawyers, therapists and the mediator in their divorce case.
The attorney representing her ex-husband disagrees with the claim.
“Sheena Greitens lied when she ‘they were reported to multiple lawyers, therapists, and our mediator, in 2018 and afterward.’ She has specifically chosen, as her corroborating witnesses, individuals who are bound by confidentiality provisions so that they can’t be called as witnesses to rebut her false claims. Moreover, she has chosen people who are mandated reporters, required by Missouri law to report allegations of abuse,” Parlatore said.
Sheena claims she has proof that her ex-husband was abusive.
“I will provide contemporaneous documentation of the relevant communications, as well as photographic evidence of my child’s 2019 injuries, to the court at the appropriate time,” Sheena said in the court filing.
In other court documents filed in March, Sheena described the alleged abuse her son endured in 2019. She said her son arrived home with a swollen face and loose tooth after a scheduled visit with his father. Eric Greitens described the injuries as something that happened while the two were “roughhousing.”
The two parents currently have shared custody of their two sons, and a parenting plan is in place.
In 2021, Sheena Greitens asked the court to modify the plan and move the custody battle to Texas. It’s where she lives, and claims the move would provide more privacy to the case.
“She also lied when she claimed that she wanted to keep these family matters private and protect her children from public disclosure because she is the one who leaked her own affidavit to the media to bring public attention on her dispute with Eric,” Parlatore said in a statement.
In the past, Eric has argued publically that his children spend the majority of their time with him. His ex-wife said the numbers prove otherwise.
“This is not accurate, as the evidence provided in my affidavit on the number of days the children have spent with each parent in each state attests. Additionally, in the first 90 days of 2022, the children have spent 18 days with Eric, and 72 with me: 20% is not “a majority,” Sheena wrote in the latest court filing.
She also reported asking Eric to take part in mediation at least eight times beginning in October 2020. She claims Eric has refused to precipitate in the process.
“Sheena lied when she said that Eric refused multiple requests for mediation. Communications clearly demonstrate that as he was making proposals for scheduling under the court-ordered parenting plan, Sheena repeatedly demanded to go to mediation but refused to tell Eric what the dispute was. At no time did she ever contact the mediator to inform the mediator that there even was a dispute, as required,” Parlatore, said.
Sheena also accuses Eric of spreading misinformation about everything from their relationship to claims that she’s tried to keep their sons from seeing their father. She also claims that Eric has threatened, both privately and publically, to take their children away from her.
“In addition to what he said he would do, Eric claimed in an interview with Steve Bannon on Tuesday that ‘I’ve applied for full custody of my children.’ That statement wasn’t true then, and it isn’t true now,” Sheena added in the court document.
Greitens’ campaign did not comment immediately on the new response.
It’s also not clear how the allegations could complicate his bid to emerge from Missouri’s Aug. 2 primary as the GOP nominee and potentially jeopardize his party’s chance to hold onto a key Senate seat in the general election.
📲 Download the FOX4 News app to stay updated on the go.
📧 Sign up for FOX4 email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.
💻 Find today’s top stories on fox4kc.com for Kansas City and all of Kansas and Missouri.