Mike Shouhed.Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Shahs of SunsetalumMike Shouhedis facing a lawsuit from hisformer fiancéeover an alleged 2022 domestic violence incident.
She is seeking unspecified damages and punitive damages in the complaint.
Mike Shouhed and Paulina Ben-Cohen.Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
After Ben-Cohen put her children to bed, she says she started to have a tobacco-free hookah — which is a “very common” in her culture — when she alleges Shouhed began an argument and called her a “horrible mother", “f—ing w—-", and “piece of s—”, according to the complaint.
At that time, Ben-Cohen claimed in the complaint that Shouhed “forcefully grabbed hair and shoulder and violently threw her to the ground" while she attempted to remove his clothes from a clothing rack. The incident is documented in screenshots of security footage in the filing.
Mike Shouhed.
Ben-Cohen alleged that Shouhed bent over her while she was lying on ground and “struck her in the face, and then put his hand over her face and tried to suffocate her as she writhed on the ground and struggled to breathe.”
Shouhed also allegedly threatened to kill Ben-Cohen and told her “he had a hitman who would put her away," according to the complaint.
The argument continued in the children’s playroom and Ben-Cohen attempted to call 911.
“Nearly four minutes after [Shouhed] initiated his series of vicious and brutal attacks on plaintiff, this harrowing incident finally came to an end…,” the complaint states. “After Shouhed went upstairs to retrieve one of his firearms, the police were called, came to the residence and arrested Shouhed.”
Paulina Ben-Cohen and Mike Shouhed.Paulina Ben-Cohen Instagram
After his arrest, Shouhed’s attorney, Alex Kessel, denied any wrongdoing on his client’s part.
In addition, Shouhed is also facing six weapons charges, including criminal storage of a loaded firearm and possession of an assault weapon.
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Ben-Cohen confirmed to PEOPLE at the time via her attorney Joshua Ritter that she is “the victim in the case.”
“Paulina’s primary focus is on keeping herself and her children safe,” Ritter said in a statement on his client’s behalf at the time. “She supports the work that the police and the City Attorney’s Office have done, and she continues to cooperate with them while looking forward to putting this sad situation behind her and moving on with her life.”
In October 2022, Shouhed entered into a diversion program to close out his case, according toTMZ.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
