Selling Sunset alum Christine Quinn’s husband, Christian Richard, is looking at serious legal consequences after being arrested following an alleged domestic violence incident.
“What’s going to happen here is that Christian’s going to be charged with a felony,” attorney and legal expert Neama Rahmani, who is not involved in the case, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, March 20. “Whenever you do something that may result in great bodily injury, it doesn’t have to be a traditional weapon like a gun or a knife. Throwing glass is sufficient, and that makes the assault a felony and not a misdemeanor.”
Rahmani added that Quinn, 35, “does not have to press charges,” as the case is considered a crime against the state.
“The case is going to move forward whether she wants to or not,” he said.
Us confirmed on Wednesday that Richard, 45, had been taken into custody one day prior and booked for assault with a deadly weapon. TMZ reported that he allegedly threw a bag with glass in it at Quinn, missing her and striking the pair’s 3-year-old son, Christian.
Photos obtained by the outlet showed Richard being taken into custody while wearing a bathrobe. Just hours after he posted a bond of $300,000 and was released from police custody on Wednesday, Richard was arrested again when he returned to Quinn’s Hollywood Hills property, thus violating the restraining order obtained against him one day prior.
Neither Richard nor Quinn have addressed the alleged incident.
In addition to the criminal case Richard is facing, Rahmani told Us that there could also be “a dependency case” since Richard and Quinn share a young son.
“Social workers may get involved. If they believe that the child is at risk, that’s how children get removed from one parent, or sometimes even both parents,” he explained. “Usually when it comes to domestic violence, if there’s a failure to prevent the domestic violence, the victim may also lose custody. But it sounds like in this case she did the right thing. She called 911, she was protecting her child. So, if there is a dependency case, it may just be against Christian.”
While Richard is looking at a felony charge, Rahmani told Us that the consequences he’ll face are less certain.
“It’s really going to depend on if there’s a plea offer and whether he goes to trial or not,” Rahmani explained. “In a place like Los Angeles, if someone doesn’t have criminal history and there are first time events, they may be able to get off with just probation in the first instance or a suspended sentence. So, it’s going to depend on what his lawyers are able to negotiate based on the facts of the case as well as the criminal history, and frankly, what the deputy district attorney who’s assigned to the case — the prosecutor — decides to offer.”
In the wake of Richard’s arrest, Quinn is “planning on leaving” her husband, a source told Us on Thursday, March 21. “She’s planning on filing for divorce,” the insider added.
Quinn and Richard tied the knot in December 2019. They cofounded Real Open real estate brokerage in April 2022 after Quinn left Selling Sunset and the Oppenheim Group behind.
During a May 2020 interview with Bustle, Quinn called Richard “everything that [she] ever wanted” in a partner.
“He’s the opposite of me in every way because I love to put myself out there. I love to be fabulous. He doesn’t care about dressing up or looking good. He doesn’t care about any of that stuff,” she said. “He only cares about his work and traveling. Which I care about as well.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
