Renowned “Winnie the Pooh” voice actor Jim Cummings has been accused of sexual assault and animal abuse amid a bitter legal battle with his ex-wife regarding events she claims occurred after their decade-long marriage.
Jim and Stephanie Cummings were married in 2001 and divorced in 2011. Since then, the pair have been battling for custody and child support payments in a Los Angeles County courtroom.
Stephanie said the 66-year-old voice actor has engaged in “physical, sexual, and emotional abuse including but not limited to death threats, rape, and various sexual deviant behavior forced upon me without my consent,” according to court documents acquired by The Blast.
The scope of Stephanie’s allegations focus on the time period between 2011 and 2018. Amid their ongoing legal battle, the voice actor underwent two days of questioning regarding allegations made by his ex-wife.
According to the tabloid, Stephanie claimed she obtained two separate domestic violence protective orders following an August 2011 incident in which Jim allegedly came to their home and forced himself on her in front of their 4-year-old daughter. Stephanie said Jim then asked if she could “see him leaking because that’s what I make him do when he touches me,” prompting her to report the encounter to police.
Conversely, Jim called the August 2011 encounter a consensual and “happy incident,” claiming they were both laughing and joking and that he “slightly” touched her buttocks. The Disney star also asserted that his ex-wife is considerably taller than him and “a large woman [who] made no objection to anything.”
The Blast reported that Stephanie also accused Jim of raping her in August 2013. Though she claimed she filed a police report she didn’t provide additional details regarding the assault.
Stephanie stated that she moved to Utah in 2017 with their two daughters to escape her ex-husband’s abuse. While he was visiting their children, she alleged she woke up in the middle of the night to find Jim standing over her with his erect penis in her hand. Stephanie said their 10-year-old daughter was in the bed with her when the incident occurred, according to The Blast.
“I told him to stop and get out of the house. He refused. He then came back and did the same thing, insisting I masturbate him or he would wake Lulu up,” she recalled, per court documents. “I did as he asked given his threat to wake up my daughter and my worry that I could not control what he would do in front of her.”
Afterward, Stephanie reportedly sought and received a two-year restraining order in Utah against her husband.
Stephanie went on to accuse the 66-year-old voice actor—who has credits in “Looney Tunes,” “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” and the “Fallout” video game franchise—of abusing alcohol, marijuana, and Adderall. She claims Jim had multiple stints in rehab before their separation, which she blamed on his substance abuse issues.
Meanwhile, Jim dismissed these allegations as an “exaggeration.” While he admitted to “voluntarily” entering rehab, he denied that alcohol, marijuana, or Adderall were his drugs of choice. Moreover, he accused his ex-wife of also having a “long-standing” history of substance abuse, which led them to mutually enter rehab in 2005, according to the tabloid.
In addition to sexual assault, Stephanie also lobbied animal abuse allegations against her ex-husband. While seeking full custody of their daughters, Stephanie said Jim got angry that a puppy they purchased urinated in the house—leading him to place the dog in a metal container outside in triple-digit temperatures.
Stephanie claimed the dog nearly died. However, Jim said he had placed the dog in a metal tub as a form of discipline per the vet’s suggestion. He claimed he forgot the dog for a brief period but released it, adding that he took it to the vet and it was found to be in good health.
In court documents, Stephanie described her former husband as a “much smaller version of Harvey Weinstein” who she fears will harm their daughters if he’s awarded full custody.
Records obtained by the tabloid indicated that the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services has reviewed this case and have been in contact with the couple.
[Featured image: Jim Cummings/Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP]
