Maloof divorce grows contentious

When Las Vegas hotelier Adrienne Maloof and her husband, plastic surgeon Paul Nassif, were shown on the reality TV show “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” they were often seen bickering, but generally seemed to have a relatively happy marriage. However, that was apparently not the case, as has been made clear by their highly contentious divorce battle.

Maloof and Nassif were married in 2002 and have three children together, a 9-year-old and 6-year-old twins. According to Nassif’s divorce filing, Maloof had become increasingly unpredictable and violent in recent months, culminating in an incident in July in which Maloof allegedly hit, kicked and screamed at Nassif. On July 30, he filed for legal separation.

Soon after the separation filing was made, Maloof gave an interview in which she stated that she hoped to reconcile with her husband. However, Nassif filed for divorce on August 28. In her response, Maloof leveled similar allegations against her husband, stating that he has a violent temper, that he is physically abusive and that their children are afraid of him.

Both spouses said that they wanted to settle their divorce through mediation, but it quickly escalated, and their case will now be decided by a family court judge. It seems that child custody will be the most contentious issue in their split. Nassif filed for joint custody, but Maloof requested primary custody, alleging that Nassif has been irresponsible when caring for the couple’s kids and that he often carries an unlocked gun in his briefcase. He has denied those allegations.

Source: People, “Adrienne Maloof: Inside Her Nasty Divorce Battle with Paul Nassif,” Raha Lewis, Sept. 17, 2012