Domestic Violence Secret Behind Bitter Custody Fight: Tamra Barney's Ex-Husband Left Her With 'Black Eyes, Busted Lip' In 1997 Incident Which Led To Arrest, Source Claims
April 25 2014, Published 5:10 p.m. ET
Tamra Barney is locked in an EPIC custody battle with her ex-husband Simon Barney, who has accused the Real Housewives of Orange County star of neglecting their young children. But is there a domestic violence secret behind the pair's drawn-out, knock 'em dead court fight?
A new report claims Simon was arrested for domestic violence almost 10 years ago after an incident which left Bravolebrity Tamra with injuries so extensive that she “had black eyes and a busted lip.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the Real Housewives of Orange County star’s husband was arrested in 2010 on domestic violence charges.
This apparently wasn’t Simon's first brush with the law, however: As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Tamra’s eldest son Ryan Vieth recently wrote about an incident on his Facebook page.
“I was 11 years old the first time Simon beat my Mom up and was arrested,” Vieth wrote on April 18.
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According to a new report on blog All Things Real Housewives, Tamra was left bloodied and bruised after allegedly being assaulted.
“She was hit so hard that she had black eyes and a busted lip,” a source told the website.
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The incident was said to have taken place in 1997 but after the arrest, Tamara, like many victims of domestic violence, “refused to press charges on Simon,” a knowledgeable insider said.
Today, a “devastated” Tamra -- who has remarried -- is fighting for custody of the three minor children she shares with Simon.
“The divorce was hard enough on them,” she said in a recent interview.
“For Simon to be dragging not only me through the mud but our kids, it’s absolutely sickening. I mean, bash me all you want, but don’t include my kids," Tamra said in a recent interview.