NEW YORK — Saying no to a toddler’s demands for a McDonald’s meal got a father branded an inept parent, he says in a lawsuit claiming a psychologist urged a judge to curtail his parental visits over the dinner debacle.

David E. Schorr says psychologist Marilyn Schiller pronounced him incapable of caring for his nearly 5-year-old son after he offered a choice — dinner anywhere but McDonald’s, or no dinner at all — and let the boy choose the latter. He then took his irate son home to the boy’s mother’s house early from their Oct 30 dinner date, according to a defamation suit Schorr filed Tuesday.

Schiller didn’t immediately return a call Friday.

Schorr, an attorney and employee-benefits consultant, is in the midst of a contentious divorce with estranged wife Bari Yunis Schorr. Schiller was court-assigned to evaluate the couple and their child, according to the lawsuit.

Schiller’s reports and many other filings in the divorce case aren’t public, though court records reflect a flurry of litigation over two years. Bari Schorr’s lawyer declined to comment.

While the case plays out, David Schorr has alternate weekends and dinner every Tuesday with his son, according to the defamation suit.

“Normally not a very strict father who rarely refuses his child McDonald’s,” Schorr put his foot down Oct. 30