She may have squeezed into a skintight costume for her role on Star Trek: Voyager, but Jeri Ryan isn't willing to relinquish her modesty entirely.
In court documents unsealed Monday, the erstwhile Borg babe accused her ex-husband, Illinois Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jack Ryan, of forcing her to go to sex clubs and trying to entice her to have intercourse with him while others watched.
Ryan made her allegations during the couple's custody dispute in 2000 and 2001, claiming that her husband took her to "explicit sex clubs" in New York, New Orleans and Paris under the pretense of "romantic getaways."
One of the spots they visited in New York was a "bizarre club with cages, whips and other apparatus hanging from the ceiling," according to her court filing.
The Boston Public alum further alleged that her husband "wanted me to have sex with him there, with another couple watching. I refused. [He] asked me to perform a sexual activity upon him, and he specifically asked other people to watch. I was very upset."
On a trip to Paris, Ryan alleged that her husband again made her visit a club which catered to an apparently scruples-free clientele.
"People were having sex everywhere," she stated. "I cried. I was physically ill. [He] became very upset with me, and said it was not a 'turn on' for me to cry."
Ryan blamed the incident for causing her to lose her attraction to her husband, which ultimately led to their divorce in 1999.
In his original court response in June 2000, Jack Ryan called his ex-wife's claims "ridiculous accusations" and stated that she was not taking into consideration how their son would be affected by "this type of smut." He admitted they had visited one "avant garde nightclub" in Paris, where neither of them felt comfortable.
The Senate candidate stuck to his guns Tuesday, stating that his opinion hadn't changed since his response four years earlier. He stated that he did not think the public revelations would hurt his candidacy, despite the fact that three Illinois GOP leaders have publicly expressed their extreme disapproval.
Both Ryans claimed they were upset by the release of the documents, but said they had elected not to appeal the decision. A Los Angeles judge ruled earlier this month that there was enough of a public interest in the case to unseal the filings.
The animosity between the pair has apparently been worked out since their custody dispute. Ryan released a statement through her ex-husband's campaign Monday, expressing her support for his candidacy.
"Jack is a good man, a loving father, and he shares a strong bond with our son," she stated. "I wish him all the best, both in his life and career. I have no doubt that he will make an excellent senator."
While the unsealing of the court filings may hurt her ex-husband's political aspirations, Ryan's career is unlikely to suffer.
Though Boston Public seems to have adjourned on a permanent basis, Ryan now has a starring role in the television version of Practical Magic. Although the series failed to make CBS' fall schedule, signs indicate that Eye might pick up the show as a midseason replacement, judging from the fact that the network ordered three additional scripts from show creators earlier this month. Sandra Bullock executive produces the series.