It was expected to be one of the most difficult and longest divorces in Hollywood this year, settling sooner than many expected after months of overlapping accusations from the protagonists. Kevin Costner and Christine Costner (née Baumgartner) have reached a divorce agreement, ending a four-month tough legal battle that made headlines around the world due to their financial requests and rejections. The actor faced his ex-wife’s demands head-on.
As TMZ exclusively reported this Tuesday, September 19, the 68-year-old artist and the 49-year-old designer have signed a divorce agreement that permanently ends their 18-year marriage. What has not been disclosed for now are the details of the letter that both signed last weekend. However, according to American media, it is an agreement that would primarily benefit Kevin Costner, who has already won legal battles in Los Angeles courts in recent weeks. It was precisely these court victories, in which the judge rejected the amount demanded by Christine for the maintenance of their three children, that persuaded the designer to agree to this agreement. She demanded $248,000 a month (more than 232,00 euros at the current exchange rate) for the care of her three children, which his legal team, led by all-powerful Hollywood lawyer Laura Wasser, reduced to $63,000. And the judge in Santa Barbara, California, agreed with Costner after two days of hearings in which he listened to both.
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In those hearings, Judge Thomas Anderle also made it clear that he would apply the prenuptial agreement they signed before their wedding, a four-day wedding in September 2004. If Christine had still intended to challenge this agreement, she would have had to pay back more than a million dollars to her ex-husband in addition to paying legal fees to fight this fight. This may have been one of the reasons why he finally agreed to sign the divorce agreement. In any case, TMZ sources assure, without giving any figures, that she will finally get more money than was stipulated in the marriage contract. They also say that the agreement did not state that the actor would pay her $850,000 to cover legal fees during the divorce process.
It was Christine Baumgartner who filed for divorce on May 1st, citing classic “irreconcilable differences.” Something that, as we knew at the time, surprised the actor from films like “Dances with Wolves” and “The Bodyguard” or the hit series “Yellowstone”. The situation between the two quickly became complicated, with the arguments broadcast by media around the world. Last July, a judge had to force Christine to leave the family home in California because it is actually Costner’s property.
They both share three children: Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13. And it was during the hearing about their support that their parents’ two completely opposite positions were expressed. After Christine’s attorney, John Rydell, said the luxurious seaside lifestyle her three children have enjoyed at their four-acre Carpinteria estate next to Santa Barbara and overlooking the Pacific is “in her DNA right now,” Kevin Costner intervened position and said: “My biggest concern is that the court will order me to pay support that is above the needs of my children and above the needs of Christine.” He always denied that the boys needed so much money, and accused his ex-wife of “inflating support bills” by pocketing her own expenses on personal trainers and even cosmetic surgery. In this chapter he assured the judge that he had invested 190,000 US dollars (174,000 euros) in a year. Ultimately, the judge ruled that he had to pay a quarter of what Christine was asking for.
Before the announcement of this agreement, it was expected that Christine, who has already received a payment of 1.5 million dollars (1.4 million euros) stipulated in the prenuptial agreement, and the Oscar-winning actor, whose net worth is around 230 million euros It is estimated that they will face each other again in court next December to determine the validity of their prenuptial agreement. In principle, this will no longer happen.