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Salon
Salon
Politics
Meaghan Ellis

Greiten's wife submits abuse evidence

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. Craig Barritt/Getty Images for The Robin Hood Foundation

Sheena Greitens, the estranged wife of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, has confirmed that she has documentation of the abuse she suffered during their marriage.

In her latest court filing on Thursday, March 31, Sheena Greitens provided photos and other related evidence to support her claims accusing her ex-husband of physically abusing her and their children amid the demise of his political career.

According to St. Louis Public Radio, Sheena Greitens noted that while she has tried to resolve their differences privately, it appears the former Republican lawmaker is more concerned about his public run for the U.S. Senate. She argues that his "attacks on her character, push for records to be sealed, and demands that the case be sent to mediation show he cares more about his campaign for U.S. Senate than his sons."

Helen Wade, the attorney representing Sheena Greitens, also highlighted that they'd requested mediation a total of eight times prior to him announcing his run for the Senate. All of those requests were reportedly denied.

The abuse claims, made in an affidavit filed March 21, stated that as he faced criminal charges and possible impeachment in 2018, Eric Greitens repeatedly threatened to commit suicide unless she showed "specific public political support" for him. In one incident of child abuse, that she swore in the affidavit occurred in November 2019, one of their sons came home from a visit his father with a swollen face, bleeding gums and loose tooth and said his father had hit him.

According to St. Louis Public Radio, Sheena Greitens noted that while she has tried to resolve their differences privately, it appears the former Republican lawmaker is more concerned about his public run for the U.S. Senate. She argues that his "attacks on her character, push for records to be sealed, and demands that the case be sent to mediation show he cares more about his campaign for U.S. Senate than his sons."

Helen Wade, the attorney representing Sheena Greitens, also highlighted that they'd requested mediation a total of eight times prior to him announcing his run for the Senate. All of those requests were reportedly denied.

The abuse claims, made in an affidavit filed March 21, stated that as he faced criminal charges and possible impeachment in 2018, Eric Greitens repeatedly threatened to commit suicide unless she showed "specific public political support" for him. In one incident of child abuse, that she swore in the affidavit occurred in November 2019, one of their sons came home from a visit his father with a swollen face, bleeding gums and loose tooth and said his father had hit him.

Although Eric Greitens has pushed back against his estranged wife's claims, she insists she did report the abuse. "In fact, they were reported to multiple lawyers, therapists, and our mediator, in 2018 and afterward," Sheena Greitens said. "I will provide contemporaneous documentation of the relevant communications, as well as photographic evidence of my child's 2019 injuries, to the court at an appropriate time."

The former lawmaker's attorney told the court that his client's soon-to-be ex-wife is not being truthful. "Common sense suggests no parent would agree to share joint legal and physical custody with the fictional parent described in the filing leaked to the press before it was accepted by the circuit clerk and available to the court or the inquiring public," Stamper wrote.

Pushing back against Stamper's accusation, Wade noted that her client has made it clear that Eric Greitens continues to behave the way he did from 2018 to 2020.

"Eric's behavior since 3/21 is consistent with several patterns that I have previously experienced," Sheena Greitens said. "When his public future is at risk, he becomes erratic, unhinged, coercive and threatening. He accuses me of things that are untrue and generates conspiracy theories about me collaborating with his 'enemies' when I have done no such thing. He uses words like 'nasty' and 'vicious' to describe my behavior, and threatens to take my children away."

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