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Denise Richards was reportedly caught completely off guard when a judge ruled on Monday that Charlie Sheen no longer needed to pay her child support for their two daughters, Sami, 17, and Lola, 16.
According to a new report, the ruling “blindsided” the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member, who allegedly didn’t know that she was supposed to appear at the hearing.
“Charlie filed two years ago and kept pushing the court date, so Denise was very surprised that it happened yesterday while she is out of town filming. She was blindsided,” a source told PEOPLE on October 5. “Now he’s manipulating the situation.”
Although Charlie claimed in court on Monday that he has full custody of both Sami and Lola, the insider said that while Sami has been living with her dad since July, not April as alleged in court, Lola splits her time between both parents.
“Lola does not live with Charlie. She lives with both of her parents and stays with Charlie when Denise is out of town. When Denise is back, Lola will be with her,” the source clarified. “This is very disappointing for Denise, but also not surprising. Charlie is pitting the girls against their mother, which is horrible.”
Meanwhile, another insider close to the situation claimed Denise, who’s been married to husband Aaron Phypers since September 2018, “has known about the court date for six months.”
As RHOBH fans may have heard, Sami made headlines last month when she shared on her TikTok page that she had been “trapped” in an abusive household before “finally [moving] out of the hell house” and having “a spiritual awakening.”
In the weeks since, sources have suggested that Denise simply wanted her kids to have “structure” and “normal rules.”
“[Sami] didn’t want to follow the rules,” one insider claimed. “Charlie didn’t support implementing Denise’s rules. He has a different way of parenting and Sami decided to live with her dad. Denise loves her daughter very much and she’s saddened by the situation.”
According to a second report, shared by Hollywood Life on October 5, Denise is “shocked” by the recent court ruling and feels Charlie used her work schedule “to his advantage.”
“Denise has been the primary caretaker for the girls for years,” the source explained. “Charlie and Denise have had their issues over the years, but she didn’t expect this. It’s below the belt in Denise’s eyes and making them turn on their mother which is the last thing she’d ever want.”
Denise and Charlie were married from 2002 until 2006.