Publishing heir James Fairchild — whose contentious divorce from socialite Whitney St. John made headlines for years — was arrested for allegedly punching a woman in the face, Page Six has learned.
But Fairchild maintains that he is innocent, the incident never took place and he was never charged.
According to newly surfaced legal papers, Fairchild — the son of the late publishing mogul John Fairchild — was booked by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Naples, Fla., back in March for battery.
He posed for a police mugshot, but charges were not pursued.
“She had sustained injuries from Mr. Fairchild to her face and arm from being punched with a closed fist and grabbed roughly,” reads the police report. “She was visibly upset and shaken.”
“Fairchild came from the right side of the home,” the woman told the cops, and “grabbed her right arm. They struggled with each other for a little and then Fairchild punched her in the face with a closed fist leaving multiple bruises and possibly breaking her nose.”
However, prosecutors did not file charges against Fairchild “due to insufficient evidence under Florida law,” Samantha Syoen, communications director for the state attorney’s office in Florida, told us.
Fairchild insisted, “There were no charges because I proved I was not there at the house, and this incident never happened.”
Fairchild’s previous divorce from St. John lasted several years and grew into a heated battle over property including fine jewelry and faux taxidermy from Switzerland.