Co-Owner Of Popular LA Restaurant Accuses Husband of Killing Cats

LOS ANGELES -- In a divorce filing, a chef and co-owner of the highly popular restaurant Horses has accused her husband of killing their cats and assaulting her, the LA Times is reporting.

In an article published May 17, the Times reported that Horses chef Elizabeth Johnson has, in a divorce filing that was filed in November, accused her husband and business partner, Will Aghajanian, of killing the family’s cats, and also asked for a domestic violence restraining order.

In her filing, Johnson said that the couple owned a cat that was mysteriously wounded and soon died. Then, after getting a second cat, she said she caught her husband violently shaking it. That cat also died. She is also alleging that Aghajanian assaulted her on numerous occasions.

Aghajanian strongly denied her claims in his own court filings, calling them “false allegations,” according to the Times. On Wednesday, the newspaper said that Aghajanian has responded directly the claims, saying that Johnson was “trying to take my businesses away from me through divorce” and creating false narratives.

After publication of the story, the restaurant Horses issued a statement announcing that Aghajanian has been on a leave of absence from the restaurant since November 2022 and since then "has not been involved in the day-to-day operations of the restaurant.

The statement went on to note that Johnson is still active and leading the restaurant.

In December, a judge approved the domestic violence restraining order against Aghajanian and reissued it again on May 1. The order requires Aghajanian to stay 100 yards away from Johnson and the couple’s three dogs.