Jack Nicholson’s Grandson’s Ex-Girlfriend Files Restraining Order, Alleging He Put Her in a Chokehold and Broke Her Teeth (Exclusive) By Danielle Bacher 17

On a sunbaked Los Angeles afternoon this past July 23, Elizabeth Lawlor agreed to meet up with her ex-boyfriend, Sean Knight Nicholson — the 29-year-old grandson of Hollywood icon Jack Nicholson — for what was supposed to be a quiet, civil conversation about his alleged struggles with suicidal ideation. By nightfall, she was allegedly unconscious and bleeding with broken teeth.

What happened in between is now the subject of a felony investigation by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, a restraining order and a case that’s prompting personal and legal scrutiny of a well-known Hollywood family.

In court documents signed on Aug. 8 and filed three days later — which were obtained by PEOPLE — Lawlor, 28, recounts the chilling lead-up to that day. She says Nicholson, fresh out of rehab and struggling, reached out in crisis.

“He threatened to take a full bottle of Valium if I did not come over,” the restraining order claims. “I noticed he had taken pills along with alcohol and cocaine.”

Lawlor didn’t hesitate. According to her account, she also sent text messages from Nicholson’s phone — messages that allegedly confirmed he was buying narcotics — directly to his mother, Jennifer Nicholson, daughter of Jack.

Nicholson, a recovering addict allegedly diagnosed with schizophrenia, has a history of mixing prescription medication with illicit substances, per a police report’s summary of Lawlor’s statements. “I sent these to his mother as he was supposed to be sober and I did not want to be near him if he were on drugs,” she claimed in the restraining order.

But whatever intentions she had for that meeting quickly unraveled. What began as a conversation reportedly escalated into a vicious fight, centering around alleged infidelity and Nicholson’s drug relapse — a betrayal that, a source and her account of the police report claim, cut deep for Lawlor, who had stood by him during earlier recovery efforts and believed he was sober.

Then came the alleged violence.

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At around 5:30 p.m., according to a police report reviewed by PEOPLE, Nicholson allegedly grabbed Lawlor “by the neck and head and threw her into an unidentified hard object.” She reportedly blacked out.

“Then he put his hands on my head and neck and then my teeth were broken,” she claims in the restraining order. “He pushed me down and I briefly lost consciousness and noticed my teeth had been knocked out. I wanted to leave and he held me down.”

She alleges that she tried to leave, but Nicholson stole her phone. “Eventually I was able to leave when I started screaming. He put me in chokeholds, would not let me leave apartment. He would often threaten to harm himself if I left.” Lawlor claims in the restraining order that her “front teeth were knocked out upon force” and Nicholson allegedly “cut my airway off when he put me in a chokehold.”

Dazed and in pain, Lawlor allegedly fled the apartment and was found by a security guard. Shortly after, Nicholson escorted her back upstairs, according to the police report. “Victim stated that she blacked out and when she opened her eyes realized her tooth had broken,” reads the official investigative report.

“Finally I was allowed to leave,” Lawlor claimed in the restraining order. “The security guard in the building saw me come and go. He called the paramedic.”

The reunion, intended as a peace offering, became just another violent chapter in a relationship marked by chaos and alleged abuse. Lawlor began dating Nicholson in April 2023, and according to the restraining order, he abused her “almost every day for four years” until recently.

“He would constantly call on various numbers, including blocked calls, multiple emails over the years,” Lawlor alleges in the restraining order, where she notes she’s spent over $36,000 in medical, ambulance and therapy costs due to the alleged violence.

She later sent photos of her injuries — her teeth and bruised face — to Jennifer Nicholson, according to the restraining order. That’s when Jennifer made the call to 911. “I texted the mother of Sean Knight Nicholson and she called the police,” Lawlor recounted.

Two officers arrived shortly after. Lawlor, in visible pain, was transported to Cedars-Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital by ambulance.

She received reconstructive emergency dental surgery, according to the medical records. After a CT scan was performed, there were no findings of brain hemorrhaging. She spent $4,374.00 for new teeth, per a Beverly Hills dentist bill.

On August 7, the LAPD arrested Nicholson on a felony charge of “corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.” He was booked for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon — the “weapon” being his “hands, feet and teeth,” the report notes. He was released the same day on $50,000 bond and is set to appear in court on August 26. If convicted, he could face up to four years in state prison.

Nicholson has not commented on the allegations. Requests for comment from his representatives, his mother and Jack Nicholson’s team have gone unanswered multiple times.

Two weeks after the alleged incident, on August 11, a judge granted Lawlor a temporary restraining order. Nicholson is ordered to stay 100 yards away from Lawlor. A court hearing to determine whether it will become permanent is scheduled for September 2 at the Santa Monica courthouse.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.