Court closes Robin Thicke restraining order trial to public

Posted February 24, 2017 6:00 am

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - No public proceedings will be held in singer Robin Thicke's trial focusing on a restraining order his ex-wife wants amid allegations he abused her and their son, a judge ruled on Friday.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Roy Paul ruled the two-week trial will start March 6 and be held behind closed doors as witnesses are questioned.

Actress Paula Patton's attorneys wrote in a court filing this week that they want to call 26 witnesses, and several child welfare service workers and sheriff's deputies appeared in court after being subpoenaed.

The judge will decide whether the temporary restraining order that Thicke's ex-wife obtained should be extended for up to five years.

Patton accused the "Blurred Lines" singer of severely spanking their son and being physically abusive during their marriage, which ended in 2015. In January she was granted a temporary restraining order that requires Thicke to stay away from her and have only supervised visits with his 6-year-old son.

Thicke has denied abusing his son, and his former attorney has said there was no basis for Patton's domestic violence allegations and called them retaliatory.

This week Patton's lawyers accused Thicke in a filing of evidence tampering and modifying a court order in an attempt to get her arrested for kidnapping.

Patton was granted sole custody of the boy on Jan. 26, and a judge ordered Thicke to stay away from her and her home.

To obtain the temporary restraining order, Patton included a sworn declaration alleging Thicke was abusive during their marriage and pushed her to the ground and kicked her during a fight in April 2013.

The custody dispute flared up weeks after Thicke's father, "Growing Pains" actor Alan Thicke, died in December.

Thicke and Patton dated for 10 years before marrying in June 2005. She filed for divorce in October 2014, and their judgment was finalized a few months later.

___

This story has been corrected to show the ex-wife's surname is Patton, not Putton.

FILE - This Jan. 26, 2014 file photo shows Robin Thicke, left, and Paula Patton at the 56th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. In a Feb. 21, 2017, court filing, Patton's attorneys accused Thicke of evidence tampering by altering a court order in an attempt to get the actress arrested for kidnapping in an ongoing custody dispute between the former couple. The filing was released Thursday, Feb. 23, one day before a trial on allegations that Thicke abused her and their 6-year-old son is scheduled to begin in Long Beach, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Celebrities Content Providers Entertainment Lifestyle

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.