Scott Wolf Says Estranged Wife Kelley Making Disturbing, False Abuse Claims

Scott Wolf says his estranged wife Kelley told him she's making false claims about him to beat him in court and in the court of public opinion.

The "Party of Five" star spoke out against his wife Friday in a statement to PEOPLE ... saying the 'Real World' star is trying to use bogus abuse claims against him as a way to "gain an advantage."

The estranged couple is going through a nasty divorce after two decades of marriage and three kids together.

Scott told the outlet ... "My continued hope is to have this most difficult chapter of our family's lives remain as private as possible, however, the well being of my children is at stake, and that will always be my priority."

He continues ... "There are some significant challenges that are making our situation incredibly difficult and contentious, and it is tragic for all involved. I was informed of some deeply disturbing and entirely false allegations that were made about me by my estranged wife."

As we reported ... shortly after the announcement, Kelley was detained by police during a live stream ... making shocking, yet unconfirmed, claims of abuse against Scott.

He now says ... "I am now choosing to come forward and share that she has described to me her plans to 'make claims' about me, although she also admitted, 'I do not believe they're true,' in order to gain an advantage in what she sees as a 'battle' in court, and in the court of public opinion."

Scott adds ... "Although her claims are completely baseless and incredibly dangerous, the worst part is that they are traumatic for our children. I hope that anyone who might speak publicly or report on such things, will consider this before spreading any further information from a clearly unreliable and completely compromised source."

A judge previously granted Scott a restraining order against Kelley. It's unclear what he alleged, as the docs are under seal in Utah.