Senate Candidate's Wife Testifies About Abuse, Being Choked
Laurie Parnell's testimony came during divorce and custody proceedings in Butler County court over the custody of their three school-age children, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
November 02, 2021 at 05:30 PM
4 minute read
The estranged wife of Sean Parnell, the Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, testified under oath Monday that she endured years of rage and abuse from him, including being choked until she had to bite him, a newspaper reported.
Laurie Parnell's testimony came during divorce and custody proceedings in Butler County court over the custody of their three school-age children, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
In their suburban Pittsburgh home, the family was "walking on eggshells. The minute he walked back into the house we were petrified," she testified.
At one point, Laurie Parnell testified, "he tried to choke me out on a couch and I literally had to bite him" to get free. "He was strangling me," she said, according to the Inquirer.
She testified that, once after a Thanksgiving trip, he forced her out of their vehicle and left her alongside the highway during an argument when he told her to "go get an abortion."
Laurie Parnell also testified that Sean once slapped one of their children hard enough to leave welts through the back of the child's shirt.
One time, he called her a "whore" and other obscenities while pinning her down.
"It just got worse and worse" she testified.
The Parnells have been living apart for at least three years, but have split custody of their children evenly.
Sean Parnell, a decorated former Army Ranger who led a platoon in Afghanistan, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, she testified.
Parnell has been open about that diagnosis, saying in the past that he was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and PTSD.
In a statement released by his campaign, Sean Parnell disputed her claims and said he would "set the record straight" when he testifies next week.
"We anxiously await the opportunity to refute these hurtful, baseless allegations," the statement said. "Let me emphatically state: I have never raised a hand in anger towards my wife or any of our three children. What happened today in court was not justice, nor did it have any basis in fact or truth. Next week, I'll have an opportunity to present the truth to the court and I look forward to that opportunity."
The hearing is to resume in a week.
Parnell penned a memoir of his service in Afghanistan, which became a New York Times bestseller.
In it, he described being in heavy combat during his tour in 2006 and 2007, and sustaining wounds that prevented him from returning to combat, describing dizziness, having difficulty with motion and becoming forgetful and unsteady on his feet.
He also has written four action novels, emerged as regular guest on Fox News programs and ran unsuccessfully for Congress last year.
In the process, he became a friend of Donald Trump Jr. and a favorite of Trump, even landing a coveted speaking slot at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
Parnell's history with his wife became a subject in the Republican primary campaign, days after Trump endorsed Parnell over several other rivals for the GOP nomination in next year's election.
One rival, real estate developer Jeff Bartos, publicly attacked Parnell for allegations in the divorce and child custody dispute, bringing up restraining orders sought by Parnell's wife in 2017 and in 2018.
Parnell's campaign disputed the notion that the temporary orders — granted prior to a hearing involving both parties — were evidence of any wrongdoing.
Neither lasted more than a matter of days and a judge later ordered both expunged. The applications for the orders — the document that details the allegations — are no longer part of the publicly available filings in their divorce case.
Parnell was unelectable, Bartos has said, and a super PAC supporting Bartos has mounted an ad campaign against Parnell.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllFederal Judge Dismisses Digital Privacy Suit Against E-Commerce Company
4 minute readFederal Judge Hits US With $227,000 Sanction for Discovery Misconduct
3 minute readTrending Stories
- 1SEC Commissioner Uyeda Predicts Eased Crypto Enforcement Under Next Chair
- 2How Latham & Watkins Is Using Online Training to Expand the Legal Pipeline
- 3New York DMV Overhauls Its Points System
- 4Rolled Ankle in Bank Parking Lot Nets $1.3 Million Settlement
- 5First Trial in Litigation Tying Pa. Medical Device Plant Emissions to Cancer Ends in Defense Win
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250