Actress and ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ star Drew Sidora has filed an explosive set of allegations against her estranged husband Ralph Pittman, claiming in an amended divorce filing that he is a "serial cheater and adulterer" who has abused her mentally and financially, and at one point even got "physically aggressive" with her.
According to court documents, Sidora claimed that she could no longer take the "blatant disrespect" of Pittman, who allegedly committed "repeated uncondoned adultery during the marriage" and allowed his multiple paramours to have direct contact with Sidora so they could "flaunt" their relationships with him.
Sidora initially filed for divorce on Monday as an uncontested divorce, stating simply that their marriage was "irrevocably broken." However, in the amended complaint, filed in Gwinnett County Superior Court on Wednesday, she claimed that she "simply cannot take Pittman's continued blatant disrespect and mental abuse any longer."
She alleges in the papers that her husband's "cruel treatment" had "accelerated and gotten progressively worse" last month. During one argument, Sidora claimed in the filing, Pittman allegedly "grabbed her cell phone out of her hand," which caused her "to fall to the floor." He then "literally peeled the phone out" of her hand "aggressively," she claimed.
Plus, Sidora claimed in the complaint that Pittman has been "financially abusive". According to the papers, Pitman had access to her business funds and spent more than "at least fifty percent or more of all income" that Sidora made while they were married "under the pretense of paying household bills."
Sidora "is certain that her income has paid most of the household bills throughout the duration" of their marriage. She adds Pittman "has wiggled his way into every work project" that Sidora has in an effort to keep himself on camera "as much as possible."
In her amended complaint, Sidora has requested joint legal but temporary and permanent primary custody of their children, while Pittman has requested joint legal and physical custody.
In his divorce filing, Pittman said that the couple split up on February 19. Sidora said in her amended complaint that he did this to "strike first" in divorce court and "embarrass and humiliate" her. Pittman filed a contested divorce. Sidora says that they haven't been together since February 23.
In response to Pittman's divorce filing, Sidora filed an amended complaint accusing Pittman of being physically and emotionally abusive towards her throughout their marriage, as well as alleging infidelity on his part. She also claimed that he had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, which had caused him to become violent towards her on several occasions.
Pittman denied all of the allegations made against him in the amended complaint, stating that they were completely untrue and fabricated. He also accused Sidora of trying to ruin his reputation and career by making false accusations against him.
The divorce proceedings between Pittman and Sidora have been ongoing since the filing in February, with both parties making several court appearances. As of now, it is unclear what the outcome of the divorce will be, but it is likely that the proceedings will continue for some time.
However, as Jennifer Pearson notes, we should understand how complicated relationships can be, especially when there are claims of abuse and cheating.
"One of the worst things that can happen in a relationship is cheating; causing heartbreak, mistrust, and even divorce. Regrettably, claims of cheating and adultery are common, even among famous couples. But no matter how serious the accusations are, we shouldn't jump to conclusions before a full investigation. When someone is having problems in their marriage, they might not be able to think straight, which could lead them to say things that aren't true," she says.
