Kevin Costner has accused his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner of deliberately trying to “delay” their divorce proceedings.
The allegation follows a bizarre legal battle over whether Baumgartner understood the use of the word “understood” in their marriage contract.
Costner, 68, now says he served Written Disclosure Requests to Baumgartner, 49, in May to elicit “her claims about the validity” of the marriage contract.
This Thursday he filed court documents demanding financial sanctions against Baumgartner for allegedly failing to respond to the motions.
In a filing obtained by Us Weekly, Costner claimed that Baumgartner would not even disclose what her allegations were and complained that she “just put up roadblock after roadblock in an unwarranted effort to avoid a response to this discovery.” “.
Twists and turns: Kevin Costner has accused his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner of deliberately trying to ‘delay’ their divorce proceedings; pictured in 2018 in Pasadena, California.
Claims: Costner, 68, now says he served Written Disclosure Requests to Baumgartner, 49, in May to elicit “her claims as to the validity” of the marriage contract; seen in March 2022
He accused her of “steadfastly refusing” to respond to a “very basic disclosure request” that asked for “facts, documents and witnesses to support her claims.”
According to Costner’s filing, “Christine claims she cannot admit or deny that she understood the prenuptial agreement because she (and apparently all of her attorneys) do not understand the word ‘understood’.”
The Yellowstone star’s filing said, “This is gimmick of the worst kind.” “Get it” isn’t a technical or arcane word.”
Costner’s new lawsuit continued, “There is no objection that a request is ambiguous unless it is so ambiguous that the responding party cannot, in good faith, formulate an intelligent response.”
“The notion that Christine and the highly experienced attorneys who represent her do not understand the word ‘understood’ cannot be answered simply and straightforwardly [request for admission] is frivolous. Apparently, because of the vagueness, this objection was made only for the purpose of delay.”
Costner and Baumgartner tied the knot in 2004, and on May 1, after 18 years of marriage, she filed for divorce, sparking a dispute over her assets and child support.
The dispute recently took a dramatic turn when Costner claimed that Christine and her legal team asked for a definition of the word “understand” to determine if she understood the terms of their 2004 marriage contract, TMZ reports.
The filing reads, “Christine claims she cannot admit or deny that she understood the prenuptial agreement because she (and apparently all of her attorneys) do not understand the word ‘understand’.”
Dispute: The allegation follows a bizarre legal battle over whether Baumgartner understood the use of the word ‘understood’ in their marriage contract; seen in March 2022
Costner’s attorney, Laura Wasser, wrote in her most recent filing, “Christine’s attorney requested a definition of ‘understood’ and Kevin’s attorney provided the dictionary meaning of the word ‘understood’, meaning ‘understood or perceived the intended meaning of words.’
Wasser is now asking the judge to get Christine’s lawyers to answer the question of whether or not she understood the marriage.
The question that sparked the recent litigation began with Wasser asking, “You understood the legal effect of the prenuptial agreement before you signed the prenuptial agreement.”
Christine’s attorney responded, “Objection.” This motion is vague as to the scope and meaning of the terms “understood”… [Christine] is unable to accept or reject the request.
A hearing on the validity of the document will not take place until November, and Baumgartner is expected to continue to challenge it.
A preliminary attempt to get Costner’s ex out of their $145 million home suggests the judge may agree the rest of the document is valid as well.
TMZ reports that Baumgartner will also be forced to repay her $1.5 million paid by Costner if the judge finds the prenup is valid, and she will also reportedly be forced to pay his attorney’s fees for the marriage to pay for the defense of the document.
Baumgartner recently moved into her new $35,000-a-month rental in Santa Barbara, California, after splitting from the Yellowstone star.
Bizarre: Now the litigation has taken a turn as Christine and her legal team have asked for a definition of the word “understand” in the actor’s recent lawsuit to determine if she understood the terms of her 2004 marriage contract (pictured in February 2022 ). )
A source recently told People that she was “happy” and “relieved” after leaving the mansion she called home as a married woman.
“Christine hopes there will be less drama now.” Kevin got what he wanted — she’s out of the family home. Christine is relieved about that. She is happy to continue.’
Meanwhile, her ex Kevin was spotted at a Taylor Swift concert at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles last week.
Your new home looks cozy. received pictures of the house earlier this week.
The home has four bedrooms and four bathrooms and features amenities such as a swimming pool, fire pit and BBQ area.
The luxury home is surrounded by green bushes in the upscale California community.
After moving out of the main house on July 28, an insider revealed to People that the mother-of-three lived “in a smaller house” on the property formerly used as staff.
The insider said Baumgartner “stayed in the area to take care of her and Costner’s three children — Cayden, 16; Hayes, 14; and Grace, 13 – who will “be going back to school with her friends in the fall” in the coming months.
Parents of four: The former couple share three children: sons Cayden, 16; and Hayes, 14; along with their younger daughter Grace, 13
Baumgartner, a handbag designer, has been “trying to keep everything as normal as possible” during the turbulent time for the family, the source told the outlet.
After Baumgartner filed for divorce in May, he complained that he was having trouble finding suitable rental housing in the area.
The process was anything but amicable. Costner claimed his ex refused to leave the mansion despite giving her $1.45 million for a new home. to Baumgartner, who claimed he tried to make her and her children “homeless.”
Baumgartner had insisted in court documents that she had no plans to “stripping” her Santa Barbara mansion before leaving the premises.
Costner – who was spotted with the couple’s three children in Aspen, Colorado, on July 28 – and Baumgartner have been embroiled in a very contentious split in recent months.
The drama goes back weeks to when Costner asked her to leave the house, and the focus at the time was what she wanted to take with her when she left.
Last month, sources told that Baumgartner fears the performer is “out for revenge” on her after she filed for divorce and that police will have her escorted from her Santa Barbara home.
“He wants to humiliate her,” said a close friend of Christine’s. “This isn’t about the house, this is about making Christine’s life hell because she actually went through with the divorce.”
The way they were: A source recently told People that she was “happy” and “relieved” after leaving the villa she called home as a married woman; pictured 2014
“Christine said she wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin let the police escort her off the property,” says the friend. “It was Christine who wanted to make this transition as peaceful as possible for the sake of the children.”
“Kevin did the exact opposite. He’s not thinking about the kids and how traumatic that is.”
According to a report by ET, Baumgartner said in new legal documents that she will show Kevin’s lawyers photos of what she plans to remove from the mansion.
And that means there shouldn’t be an “emergency hearing” about what items are being taken. Christine said a hearing was “inappropriate”.
The filing also revealed that Baumgartner had rented an “off-site” storage space to house cutlery, some pots and pans, a Peloton bike, family heirlooms, clothing and friends’ personal items. There was also a “mother daughter horse picture” that she wanted to keep.
And added that Baumgartner would “do no harm” to Costner when removing her items.
Last month a judge ruled she must consult with Kevin before taking any property from the estate. She is prohibited from taking any works of art, furniture, fixtures or equipment with her without his express consent.
It was also explained that she was forbidden from removing any property from the villa apart from her clothing, toiletries, handbags and jewellery.
The ‘Let Him Go’ actor was willing to help his estranged wife move as part of their prenuptial agreement, but it was a relatively paltry sum considering their lifestyle.
Baumgartner recently moved into her new $35,000-a-month rental in Santa Barbara, California, after splitting from the Yellowstone star (pictured in 2015).
Costner reportedly paid her $1.5 million to find a new home, but given the high real estate prices in California – especially if she was trying to stay close to Costner – she may have had trouble finding something that corresponded to the luxury that she and her children are used to.
Costner deposited $1.5 million into Baumgartner’s bank account to get her to move out of his mansion, and he said he gave her $200,000 as part of their prenuptial agreement early in their marriage.
However, Baumgartner hasn’t touched the money, saying it would remove her ability to challenge the validity of the marriage contract.
She pointed out that the date of their split was April 11, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.
The divorce filing has left Kevin “caught by surprise” and the star does in fact have plans to file for divorce first, sources told The Sun last month in June. He had assumed the two would separate amicably and follow the steps in their prenup.
The couple’s 2004 marriage contract stipulates that they must leave the property in the event of a separation, while also giving them access to a $1.2 million fund to help them find a new home.
Baumgartner filed for divorce from The Bodyguard actor on May 1.
Their relationship began in 1998 and they had exchanged vows in 2004 at his ranch in Colorado.
After announcing the separation, Costner’s rep, Arnold Robinson, said in a statement, “It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have arisen which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to attend a divorce of the marriage.”
The veteran actor is also father to daughters Annie, 39, and Lily, 36, and son Joe, 35, with ex-wife Cindy Silva; and son Liam, 27, with ex-girlfriend Bridget Rooney.