A RUFF DAY IN COURT
TV star's kid in Doberman custody war
A madeforTV custody battle is playing out in a Manhattan court, starring the daughter of a onetime Hollywood heartthrob trading claims of domestic violence and deception with her mediamogul ex.
And how’s this for an unusual plot twist? The “child” is actually a 5yearold Doberman named Cash.
On Thursday, the jilted former girlfriend of Mail Online executive Noah Szubski, who sued his ex for custody of the canine last month, came out swinging, telling the judge that her onetime beau was an abusive brute.
An attorney for Chelsea Conrad, daughter of dashing “Wild Wild West” actor Robert Conrad, said she feared Szubski would beat her up if she took the dog after they split last year.
“[Szubski] would have fits of rage. He would yell at her. He, on a couple of occasions, pushed her,” said Conrad’s lawyer, Mia Poppe.
Szubski’s claim that Conrad, 28, pinched his pinscher is a pack of lies, Poppe huffed.
“The dog belongs to Ms. Conrad,” she said.
As evidence, Poppe offered a lease with a pet rider for a “60pound Doberman” that the interiordesign student signed on Oct. 13 — a week before she moved out of Szubski’s Chelsea town house.
But Szubski’s attorney, Stephen Silberfein, claimed Conrad “abandoned” Cash when she moved out, at first leaving her to live with her ex then changing her mind in a fit of jealousy.
“She stole the dog, and she stole the dog deviously,” Silberfein fumed.
Silberfein said Conrad wanted revenge after she visited Cash at Szubski’s town house on Valentine’s Day and ran into three women brunching at his pad.
She then allegedly pretended to take Cash for an overnight visit and promised to return her in the morning.
But the next day, Conrad’s mother, actress LaVelda Fann, allegedly told Szubski, “I am making an executive decision that this relationship isn’t healthy and that Cash will no longer be coming back here,” according to the 32yearold exec.
As proof of affection for the dog, Silberfein told the judge about the Instagram account that his client, chief product officer at the Mail Online, devoted to Cash. It has 450 photos and over 1,000 followers.
Additionally, Silberfein alleged that Conrad was using social media to make a “joke” out of the court fight.
The dog is currently living with Conrad, according to Silberfein, despite a judge’s earlier order that she be handed over to Szubski.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Wright said he would rule Friday who should have custody of the canine pending a full hearing in April.