KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Boone County judge concluded late last month that there has been no pattern of domestic violence by former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, according to a redacted copy of the court judgment obtained by The Kansas City Star.
“The Court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that there has been no pattern of domestic violence by either Mother or Father,” Boone County Circuit Judge Leslie Schneider wrote in the judgment dated Aug. 26. “The children have never been at risk or vulnerable at the hands of either parent.”
Schneider’s ruling, which she filed under seal, relates to Greitens’ ongoing child custody dispute with his ex-wife Sheena Greitens. In that case, Sheena Greitens accused the former governor of physical and emotional abuse toward her and their young children.
In response to the ruling, Helen Wade, an attorney for Sheena Greitens, said in a statement that her client “never alleged a ‘pattern,’ which is a legal term of art.”
“Dr. Greitens related under oath specific instances over a span of time, which were amply documented with third parties at the time, and she stands by her sworn statements. Dr. Greitens requests that the privacy of the children be protected.”
Gary Stamper, an attorney for Eric Greitens, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
In the judgment, Schneider ruled in favor of Sheena Greitens’ request to move the case to Texas — a move she requested in 2021.
The judge found that the former Missouri first couple’s two young children have closer ties to Texas than Missouri, including schools, friends and doctors. She agreed to transfer the case to Travis County, Texas. Sheena Greitens is a professor at the University of Texas, Austin, which is located in Travis County.
The judgment also provided further explanation as to why Schneider decided to seal the case from public view in Missouri. The Star filed a motion last week asking the court to unseal Schneider’s ruling.
Schneider quoted from a guardian ad litem’s report that described how the abuse allegations against the former governor were widely publicized in political advertisements during his campaign for U.S. Senate. The report said the airing of the allegations may harm the couple’s two children.
“It is in the best interests of the minor children that access to sensitive matters related to the children be restricted from further disclosure, due to the notoriety of the parties and the likelihood that members of the public will continue to use information related to the children in inappropriate ways,” the report said.
The custody case attracted national attention after Sheena Greitens filed a sworn affidavit in March claiming Eric Greitens had physically and emotionally abused their family, allegations Eric Greitens immediately refuted and argued were an attempt to undermine his campaign for U.S. Senate.
The case was a major focus during the U.S. Senate Republican primary in which Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt defeated Greitens and other contenders.
Greitens referenced the judge’s order in a Twitter post last week, saying, “Twice now in two days, the court has ruled that people lied about me.” The former governor posted the tweet after the Missouri Supreme Court officially reprimanded St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner for misconduct during her prosecution of Greitens for invasion of privacy in 2018.
A political group focused on preventing Greitens from winning the party’s nomination aired ads on television detailing some of the allegations his ex-wife made in her sworn testimony. After the former governor put out a video saying he was hunting people who he deemed insufficiently conservative, Sheena Greitens’ attorney used the video as an exhibit in the case.
