Paulina Ben-Cohen has identified herself, via her attorney, as a victim of Mike Shouhed‘s domestic violence.
Four months after the Shahs of Sunset cast member was arrested and hit with a felony charge of corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, Paulina’s attorney, Joshua Ritter of Los Angeles-based firm Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP, released a statement on her behalf to Reality Blurb.
“Paulina’s primary focus is on keeping herself and her children safe. She supports the work that the police and the City Attorney’s Office have done and she continues to cooperate with them, while looking forward to putting this sad situation behind her and moving on with her life,” the statement read.
As Shahs of Sunset fans may recall, Paulina’s attorney also addressed Mike’s arrest in April.
“We are working with the authorities to seek a just and fair outcome to this sad situation,” attorney Josh Ritter told Page Six at the time. “The family appreciates your space and respect for their privacy during this time.”
Now, months later, and after Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer filed 14 criminal charges against Mike, including domestic violence and weapons charges, claiming Mike was storing a loaded gun, an insider tells Page Six that the relationship between Mike and Paulina, who have been seen together since his arrest, is currently “unclear.”
Shortly after Mike’s arrest, Bravo announced the end of Shahs of Sunset, with a source claiming the show had simply become “too expensive to make.” And while Bravo never confirmed the exact reason behind the cancellation, nor did they address Mike’s arrest, Mike’s co-star, Mercedes “MJ” Javid, reacted to Mike’s legal drama during an April appearance on Jeff Lewis‘ radio show.
“I’ve never, ever, ever seen [Mike] violent and I’ve never seen him be angry. I was shocked because I think that unless I was literally in the room, a witness to it, [he’s] innocent until proven guilty,” MJ said on Jeff Lewis Live.
Then, when Jeff asked if it was possible that someone was “setting him up,” she replied, “Totally.”
A pretrial hearing in the case is set for August 29.