According to Us Weekly, Real Housewives of Orange County star Gina Kirschenheiter asked the court to dismiss her restraining order against her ex-husband, Matt Kirschenheiter.
During a virtual hearing on Wednesday, June 9, a judge approved Matt and Gina’s stipulation to the court that they have reached an agreement concerning child custody and the temporary domestic violence restraining order the Real Housewives of Orange County star previously filed against Matt. While he was present at the hearing, Gina’s lawyer, Graham Kirkman, attended on her behalf.
“The basis for the dismissal (of the restraining order) primarily is as it relates to the parties’ children,” Kirkman told Us of the hearing. “Their children are in a really good place right now, and the parties are healthily coparenting, and that is to their kids’ benefit. This will allow the situation that has blossomed to continue. So, I think that they’ve done a good thing here today. The parties reached a mutual agreement for that dismissal, and the purpose of the dismissal is to let a coparenting relationship continue to grow and let the best interest of their children continue.”
Kirkman added that dropping the order “allows the parties maximum flexibility to try to do what works best for each of them and for their kids.” He explained, “And the idea being, things are going so well with respect to their coparenting relationship that they’ve done something very flexible, that just allows them to work it out informally.”
The lawyer concluded, “The agreement they’ve reached today is in the best interest of their kids. I think that’s what the parties are concerned about. I can certainly speak for Gina, that that’s the primary concern for her, and this is going to let them — the parties and their children — to move forward.”
In April 2021, Gina appeared in front of a judge in the Orange County Superior Court. During the hearing, Matt pleaded guilty to one count of domestic battery with corporal injury of a spouse and guilty to one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud or deceit.
Gina broke down in tears while reading her statement on Tuesday, April 20, detailing past abuse. “I thought I was going to die. I still get chills thinking about how I begged you to, ‘Stop. Think about the kids.’ And you responded by saying, ‘Your mom is going to die tonight,’” she said, recalling past trauma inflicted by her former spouse. “It echoes in my brain, and it sinks deep in my heart. That night, it literally felt like I was in a house with a stranger whom I’d never met before. Your eyes were completely black, and you were not Matt. It was so hard for me to believe that it was even you, but it was.”
Gina admitted that it’s “taken me a long time” and a lot of self-care and therapy to get through the pain she experienced that night.
“I have managed to forgive you for most of it. I accept that I will always have this painful memory from that night. I’ve come to terms with that,” she concluded.
The judge sentenced Matt to 180 days in county jail. He will not, however, have to go to jail if he completes a number of conditions over a 178-day period. The requirements include wearing a bracelet monitor, finishing a 52-week batterer’s program, and participating in three years of formal probation.
Gina and Matt were married from May 2010 to July 2018. They share three children Nicholas (8), Sienna (6), and Luca (5). The former couple has since moved on, Gina began dating Travis Mullen, who has three children of his own. The two have since moved in together.
As for Matt, he appeared in the latest season of RHOC along with his new girlfriend.
Photo Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock; Courtesy Gina Kirschenheiter/Instagram
