Kirsten Storms and Brandon Barash are entangled in a legal battle over custody of their daughter Harper Rose.
Storms and Barash fell in love while working together on General Hospital. They tied the knot in 2013 and welcomed Harper Rose the following year. Their romance came to an end in 2016 when Barash announced that he and Storms called it quits.
“We are splitting due to the cliché irreconcilable differences, but we’re splitting amicably,” Barash told Soap Opera Digest in April 2016. “We have every intention of remaining a family through this and coparenting our kid and retaining a friendship in the efforts of raising her in a healthy environment.”
At first, Storms and Barash put on a united front to coparent Harper Rose. The exes relocated from California to Tennessee in 2025.
Kirsten Storms and Brandon Barash met on the set of General Hospital, eventually sparking a real-life romance. Storms began playing Maxie Jones on and off in 2005, while Barash brought Johnny Zacchara to life from 2007 to 2013. The pair kept their offscreen romance private until August 2013, when news broke that they had secretly […]
However, things seemingly went awry following the move. News broke in April 2026 that Barash filed an emergency restraining order against Storms. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Barash also filed for custody of Harper Rose in December 2025. The filing stated that Barash wished to change his and Storms’ initial agreement due to multiple issues since their cross country move.
Us Weekly previously reached out to Storms’ spokesperson for comment.
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of Barash’s allegations against Storms:
Brandon Barash Claims Kirsten Storms Does Not Have Permanent Housing
Barash claimed that Storms has “instability” with her housing situation. According to the filing, Storms allegedly moved out of an apartment claiming there was a gas leak and stayed either with friends or in hotels. Barash alleged that Storms frequently moved hotels because she was “convinced people were following her and the child to her room.”
The actor also claimed that Storms has received an eviction notice by her current landlord for failure to pay rent.
Brandon Barash Alleges Kirsten Storms Is Experiencing Financial Woes
In addition to the housing situation, Barash accused Storms of not making payments on her vehicle and not contributing to the fees for their daughter’s braces. Barash also claimed that Storms asked to borrow money from him for various reasons including purchasing food for Harper Rose. Storms allegedly owes Barash $5,000, per the docs. According to the filing, Barash has “great concern” over Storms’ ability to care for Harper Rose amid her financial issues.
Brandon Barash Claims Harper Rose Has Attendance Issues Under Kirsten Storms’ Care
Barasho claimed that Harper Rose was late to school “19 times” and had 13 unexcused absences while under Storms’ care.
“Mother frequently is unable to care for the child during her time, picks her up late, is unable to take her to school, and is generally not reliable on a day to day basis to ensure the child is where she needs to be on time,” the docs read.
Brandon Barash Claims Kirsten Storms Is Experiencing Mental Health Issues
In the docs, Barash recounted an alleged incident in May 2025 where Storms told him that she was “experiencing delusions and hallucinations.” The following month, Barash claimed Storms “had a psychotic breakdown” and was allegedly hospitalized and “placed on a psychiatric hold.”
Barash claimed that one of Storms’ friends confided to him that the actress was abusing Adderall and potentially other substances.
Brandon Barash Was Granted a Restraining Order
After his April 2026 court filing, TMZ confirmed that Barash was granted the restraining order.
Kirsten Storms Addresses the Legal Drama
Two months later, Storms addressed the drama for the first time.
“I’m sure some of you guys have read the stories online regarding a situation involving something my ex-husband is currently trying to claim,” Storms wrote via an Instagram post in June 2026. “Because I did see one story online stating I reported the apartment break-in AFTER he filed something against me in court, I really need to address this entire issue.”
Storms previously shared that her Tennessee apartment building had been broken into late last year. She claimed in her latest statement that the break-in had been “reported to the building and Franklin PD” before Barash made any court filings.
“You can see from my previous posts that the damage to the lock on my apartment door was extensive and obvious,” she wrote. “I took that photo in August of last year — months before Brandon filed anything in court.”
Storms wrote that the apparent break-in was “difficult to accept” since it happened just as she moved to Tennessee.
“I haven’t been online much because of how the circumstances have been twisted into something that it shouldn’t be,” she concluded. “This has been a very serious thing for me to go through.”
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