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Shahs of Sunset star Mike Shouhed is facing legal action for alleged domestic violence. According to court documents obtained by People and “Page Six,” Paulina Ben-Cohen has filed a lawsuit against her ex-fiancé over allegations tied to an incident in their Los Angeles area home in March 2022. Shouhed previously was arrested and faced 14 criminal charges for this same incident. But per TMZ, he was able to strike a deal with prosecutors and close out his case in October 2022 by entering a two-year diversion program. Now, Ben-Cohen is suing Shouhed for assault and battery, gender violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Here’s what to know.
Ben-Cohen alleges that her ex-fiancé “viciously, brutally, and repeatedly assaulted and battered” her on March 27, 2022 in their Los Angeles area home. In the complaint, she recalls having a tobacco-free hookah (which she describes as “very common” in her culture) after putting her children to bed. Ben-Cohen claims that Shouhed called her a “horrible mother,” a “fucking whore,” and a “piece of shit.” After she told him to leave the home and began packing his belongings, he allegedly grabbed her “hair and shoulder and violently threw her to the ground.”
Ben-Cohen further alleges that Shouhed “struck her in the face” and “tried to suffocate her” while she was on the ground. She also accuses him of trying to suffocate her at least two more times, threatening to kill her, and telling her that he “had a hitman who would put her away.” The filing includes screenshots of security footage of physical altercations that appear to back Ben-Cohen’s claims. Ben-Cohen said the police were called after Shouhed went upstairs to “retrieve one of his firearms”; People viewed records that confirmed that Shouhed was ultimately arrested and released the same day on a $50,000 bond.
As of publication time, he has not publicly commented. Representatives for Shouhed did not immediately respond to Vulture’s request for comment.
After Shouhed’s arrest in 2022, his attorney, Alex Kessel said in a statement to People that he had “no doubt” that his client would be exonerated, adding, “Please honor the presumption of innocence.” In July 2022, former Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer charged Shouhed with six weapons charges, plus eight charges of domestic violence, battery, and unlawfully attempting to dissuade a victim from making a report. According to EW, Shouhed pled not guilty to all 14 counts.
TMZ later reported in October 2022 that charges against Shouhed were being dropped because he had agreed to enter a two-year diversion program. This deal with prosecutors required him to take anger management and parenting classes, complete a gun safety course, and do community service. He was also prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm until the end of the program.
The pair confirmed that they were engaged during the first part of the Shahs of Sunset’s season-nine reunion in August 2021, three months after they reportedly purchased a home in the Los Angeles suburbs together. During season nine, Ben-Cohen had discovered sexts from another woman on Shouhed’s phone. “I know this time around is so different,” Ben-Cohen said at the reunion. “The love and the connection that we have with each other, I would not be able to live a day without him in my life.”
The reality show was canceled in April 2022, shortly after Shouhed’s arrest in late March. At the time, Bravo confirmed that the show was on “indefinite pause,” but did not provide a reason. Sources close to the show told “Page Six” that Shahs of Sunset had become too expensive, though a Ryan Seacrest Productions source claimed it had just “ran its course.”