Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy attended a child custody hearing on Friday.
In a pair of testimonies that concluded the former couple’s four-month trial, the Real Housewives of New York City star accused her ex-husband of being malicious with a controversial drawing of their dead dog, Cookie, as he slammed her for allegedly refusing to allow the child to pray in her home.
According to a report from Page Six on June 21, Bethenny accused Jason of being cruel when he put the drawing into Bryn’s backpack just days after she watched the dog suffer a seizure and die. However, according to Jason, he was simply helping their child grieve.
“We went to church. We lit candles. We [both] drew pictures [of Cookie],” he revealed to Bethenny’s attorney, Allan Mayefsky. “I loved Cookie.”
Jason, who was previously accused of locking Cookie in a storage closet for hours, admitted that he never told Bethenny he would be discussing Cookie’s death with Bryn.
“I regret not including Bethenny in that conversation,” he said.
At another point in the trail, Jason claimed Bethenny banned Bryn from saying prayers in her home.
“Bryn told me that when she tries to say her prayers at Bethenny’s house, [Frankel] shuts it down and says ‘Don’t say that in my home,’” he shared.
While Jason said that both he and Bethenny are good parents to their daughter, he added that he doesn’t “approve” of “certain things that she does in her life.”
“I have no interest in sparring with her,” he continued. “My focus is on parenting Bryn and loving Bryn.”
Bethenny wants full custody of Bryn and Jason is fighting for joint.
Justice Michael Katz is expected to make a final decision on custody sometime in the next two months.
The Real Housewives of New York City season 11 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV.
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