Best-selling author and FOX News host Bill O'Reilly lost custody of his 13-year-old son and 17-year-daughter in a New York ruling — after shocking claims that the television pundit had brutally throttled his wife in front of the kids! The teens will now be living full-time with their mother (and Bill's ex-wife) Maureen McPhilmy, just as they requested.
The justices of the New York appeals court ruled unanimously to affirm the holding of a Nassau County Supreme Court justice last year that the children should be in the custody of Maureen. Bill had immediately appealed that ruling when it was made in May of 2015.
The court stated that they were following “the clearly stated preferences of the children" — and those preferences could have been influenced by incidents of domestic violence! Transcripts show a court-appointed forensic examiner stating that Bill's daughter claimed to have seen the FOX host choke her mother and drag her down a staircase!
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The chilling claims came to light when Manhattan psychologist Larry Cohen took the stand as the initial custody ruling was made last summer. Cohen, with the transcript referring to Bill's daughter as "M," was asked if either child had described "incidents of domestic violence between their parents."
Cohen responded: "M. reported having — seeing an incident where, I believe, she said her dad was choking her mom, or had his hands around her neck and dragged her down some stairs." Cohen also testifed that M. (who was 15 at the time) had been told that her mother "is an adulterer," and that her "new stepfather is not a good person."
Bill has previously said: "All allegations against me in these circumstances are 100% false. I am going to respect the court-mandated confidentiality put in place to protect my children and will not comment any further.”