The off-screen drama surrounding The Real Housewives of Orange County just intensified. Gina Kirschenheiter’s boyfriend, Travis Mullen, is in the middle of an increasingly bitter custody battle with his ex-wife, Meghan Mullen — and now a judge has made a major temporary ruling.
According to the filing, obtained by US weekly, Gina’s BF Travis had his custody with one of his children “suspended” temporarily, a development revealed during an October 30 hearing. At that hearing, an Orange County Superior Court judge “denied Travis’ request for an emergency custody order that would have awarded him sole custody of their children.”
The judge went further by suspending Travis’ time with one of his three kids — Presley (2011), Bennett (2014) or Joseph (2016) — ahead of another hearing scheduled for November 18. A court-appointed lawyer will now represent the children “and ensure their best interests are considered.”
Travis claims the issues have been building for quite some time. He alleged that Meghan had not allowed him to see one of their children “since September 29.”
He also told the court that he even reached out to law enforcement for help:
“local police … have not been helpful.”
Frustrated and worried for his son, he added:
“This behavior on the part of [Meghan] has been occurring for over a year and I feel that nobody is advocating [for his son]. I need assistance from the court to ensure that [his son’s] needs are met, that my son and I continue to have a close and loving relationship.”
Travis also claimed that one of the children “had missed a lot of school,” adding that officials were threatening to contact the District Attorney.
Meghan strongly rejected Travis’ accusations. In her response, she argued:
“Travis continues to misuse the court process to get his way. His [court] filings appear intended to punish and control me, not to protect the children. Travis is using the family court system as a tool of coercive control and retaliation. In addition to litigation abuse.”
She further alleged that the child Travis says she is withholding “does not want to see Travis,” and insisted she has been managing the school concerns.
Meghan also accused Travis of exposing their kids to public scrutiny because of his reality-TV connection, saying his “media appearances” had led to their children being “exposed” to online comments from strangers. Travis pushed back, stating his appearances on RHOC did not harm the children, noting that they “did not appear on the reality show.”
In true reality-TV fashion, both exes accuse each other of blocking phone calls with the kids. Travis specifically denied Meghan’s allegations, stating:
“This is another false allegation offered by [Meghan]. It was actually [Meghan] that would deny me phone contact with the children. Further, I have never punished the children for wanting to talk to their mother, and never said that they could not call their mom.”
Fans have watched Gina and Travis navigate their relationship on The Real Housewives of Orange County since season 14. Now, in season 19, Gina has been more open than ever about how Travis’ legal battle is affecting their home life. The emotional and logistical toll of the custody case has become a storyline all its own.
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