NASCAR driver #41-Kurt Busch is returning to court as a hearing resumes on his ex-girlfriend’s request for a no-contact order. Patricia Driscoll claims that Busch assaulted her inside his motorhome at Dover International Speedway in September, and that she still fears for her safety.A Family Court hearing on Driscoll’s request for a no-contact order was to resume Monday. Her claims are also subject to a separate criminal investigation. Busch’s attorneys have denied the assault investigations and have tried to portray Driscoll as a scorned woman out to destroy Busch’s career after he ended their relationship.(Associated Press)
UPDATE: NASCAR’s Kurt Busch denied allegations of domestic assault during a court hearing Monday, saying that all he did was cup his hands around his ex-girlfriend’s face and tell her to leave. The denials came as he and his defense attorney, Rusty Hardin, re-enacted the events of Sept. 26. It was that night that Busch’s ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, alleged the driver slammed her head three times against the bedroom wall of Busch’s motor home that was parked at Dover Downs International Speedway. Monday was the third day of a hearing related to a protection order filed by Driscoll last year. Hardin spent most of Monday disputing Driscoll’s allegations and calling her credibility into question. He has said that Driscoll is a jilted ex-lover who is out to destroy Busch’s reputation. Hardin has argued that Driscoll showed up uninvited and refused to leave the night of the alleged assault. Several people testified during the hearing, including Busch, that Driscoll claimed she was a trained assassin who had killed people, including drug lords. While on the stand, Busch said Driscoll claimed that Jessica Chastain’s character in the movie “Zero Dark Thirty’ was partly based on her and other females working in counterintelligence and defense. When Hardin asked how he’d fare in a physical confrontation, Busch said he knew she could overpower him. “I knew she could take me down at any moment,” Busch said. Earlier on Monday, proceedings began with one of NASCAR’s chaplains, Nick Terry. Terry testified that Driscoll told him Busch had grabbed her by the neck and pushed her up against the wall, but that was it. He said that Driscoll asked he and his wife to look for marks or redness on her neck, but they found none. Busch’s assistant, Kristy Cloutier, also testified on Monday, saying that she had doubts about Driscoll’s claims. Busch would never harm another person intentionally, she said.The hearing resumes Tuesday morning.(Delaware News Journal)(1-12-2015)
