Bethenny Frankel Accuses Ex Jason Hoppy Of ‘Abusive Behavior’ As She Seeks Full Custody Of Daughter Bryn

It’s day one of the court battle between Bethenny Frankel and her ex, Jason Hoppy — and things are already getting heated.

According to Radar Online, both Frankel and Hoppy were present in a Manhattan courtroom today, and Hoppy took the stand on the first day of the trial. Frankel is now seeking sole custody of their daughter, Bryn, as she says that joint custody is no longer viable for the former couple. Frankel’s lawyer, Allan Mayefsky, gave a fiery opening statement — saying that they’re in court today because they want to protect Bryn. The lawyer also accused Hoppy of abuse.

“The father’s behavior before and after their marriage is extremely harmful to Bryn. His abusive behavior towards her not only damages her relationship with her mother, but to everyone else in her life.”

Mayefsky went on to say that it’s clear that Hoppy is angry over the divorce, and that they need to protect Bethenny. The lawyer argued that in order to keep her safe, they were working on getting a restraining order against Hoppy.

Additionally, Bethenny’s legal counsel accused Hoppy of some strange behavior — including sending 500 emails to Frankel in a 90 day period. Her lawyer even alleged that Hoppy would lock Frankel’s late dog, Cookie, in a storage closet.

“Mr. Hoppy will continue to be controlled by his emotions,” the lawyer continued. “His need to sign up for every field trip, and hover over her when she is in contact with her mother shows he is out for competitive parenting, not in the best interest of Bryn.”

In his opening statement, Hoppy’s lawyer, Robert Wallack, admitted that some of Hoppy’s past actions were definitely wrong. However, he mentioned that since they agreed to joint custody on June 4, 2014, he thinks that they need to stick to the original agreement. Wallack also pointed out that over the course of the past year, the couple has been able to communicate with one another — and “it’s worked greatly.”

“While Bethenny wants to make it about their relationship and their issues, she is not mentioning that agreement is good for Bryn. Bryn is happy,” Wallack told the court. “She enjoys both her mom and her dad. As the saying goes, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.'”

Of course, Wallack was quick to point out the fact that Bryn is almost 9 years old, and that she seems to be doing great under their current agreemen. With this in mind, Hoppy’s lawyer saw no reason for anything to change.

After the opening statements made by both lawyers, Hoppy took the stand. He said that he regretted some of his actions towards Bethenny at the time, and admitted that he wishes he didn’t email her some of nasty the things that he did.

“I just want to move on,” he told the court.