Former “The Bachelorette” star DeAnna Pappas has filed a restraining order against her ex-husband following an altercation in Los Angeles County that ended in her arrest.
The Season 4 lead was arrested on a misdemeanor charge on Feb. 27 in Santa Clarita, California and released later that day on a $20,000 bond, arrest records show.
A temporary restraining order filed Monday demands her former husband and co-parent Stephen Stagliano, 41, stay at least 100 yards away from her until the end of a hearing date scheduled for March 27, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY.
Pappas, 43, said Stagliano accused her of being an alcoholic and refused to leave her home on the day of her arrest, records show. She also alleged Stagliano physically shoved her after she tried to shut her garage door while yelling for him to leave.
“I attempted to shut the garage door again. Stephen used his hand and pushed the garage door upward again so that it would not close,” Pappas said in a Monday filing. “Stephen then took his hands, grabbing me, and then forcefully shoved me. He pushed me back again.”
USA TODAY has reached out to the attorneys representing Pappas and Stagliano for comment.
Stagliano’s mother alleges Pappas’s breath smelled like alcohol
Upon arrival, officers told Pappas that Stagliano had called reporting a domestic violence incident in which she was the aggressor while drunk. After her bail, Pappas said she voluntarily participated in drug and alcohol testing and has repeatedly denied suffering from alcoholism.
“This is wholly false and fabricated as a way for the Respondent to gain leverage in his attempt to alienate the children from me,” Pappas said in an opposition to an ex parte application that Stagliano filed. “I am not an alcoholic.”
Stagliano’s mother Lynn said in a declaration that she “very clearly smelled alcohol on DeAnna’s breath” while picking their 9-year-old son on Feb. 26, the morning before the arrest.
Pappas says Stagliano tried to smell her breath day of arrest
Pappas claims that Stagliano insisted on getting close to smell her breath to ensure she wasn’t drunk, court records show.
She said after ignoring her ex-husband’s comment, she headed to the garage where he followed her and the altercation ensued while their 11-year-old daughter was still inside his vehicle with the engine running. She also alleged she saw Stagliano stealing from the garage.
In a witness statement, Pappas’s friend and neighbor Illisa Gooden attested Stagliano’s presence created “an uncomfortable and distressing environment” and caused a “psychologically tormenting effect on DeAnna.”
Pappas and Stagliano finalized divorce in 2024
Pappas and Stagliano announced they were separating in January 2023 after 11 years of marriage, according to magazine In Touch Weekly. Their divorce wasn’t finalized until June 2024.
The ex couple share two childen: 11-year-old daughter Addison and 9-year-old son Austin.
As part of their divorce agreement, “neither party shall drink alcohol in excess of the legal limit during their custody periods, or have a child and/or children in their custody and control when being intoxicated.”
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