Gina Kirschenheiter and her estranged husband, Matt Kirschenheiter, were thought to be on the verge of a reconciliation months ago. However, as the 14th season of The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo TV, they are in the midst of a messy divorce and custody battle over their three children.
Following Matt’s June arrest, he and Gina appeared in court on Wednesday, August 14, where Matt’s attorney, Bonnie Rosen, requested the judge on their case allow him to have unsupervised visits with the kids he shares with Gina. As fans may recall, Matt was placed on supervised visitation after his arrest, which required one of his family members to be present during the time he spent with the children.
According to Matt’s attorney, he’s been attending anger management classes and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for about a month.
“We are here to offer evidence as to what is in the best interest of the children,” the lawyer said, according to an August 14 report from Radar Online .
Meanwhile, Gina’s attorney argued that her client is very concerned with Matt’s anger issues and alleged marijuana use, which Matt’s attorney said he would be willing to prove isn’t happening by taking both drug and alcohol tests prior to his scheduled visits with his kids. The attorney went on to say that the June dispute between Matt and Gina didn’t involve the children and noted that it is actually Gina who is struggling with alcohol use.
Earlier this year, after an incident in January, Gina pleaded guilty to DUI.
Still, despite Gina’s arrest, her attorney continued to say that they were worried about Matt’s potential use of drugs. During their hearing, the judge said they can see if Matt would be willing to take a hair follicle test in an effort to prove he has not used drugs recently.
“I think it’s necessary that there be good faith efforts with respect to peace of mind… that the children are safe and not impacted by this experience,” Judge Julie Palafox said.
Gina accused Matt of hitting, choking, dragging, and threatening to kill her during their June altercation.
Gina and Matt parted ways in April of last year, just before her debut season of The Real Housewives of Orange County began airing.
To see more of Gina and her co-stars, don’t miss new episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 14 on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV.