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The Yellowstone verse isn’t the only division Kevin Costner is dealing with. In May of this year, handbag designer Christine Baumgartner cited “irreconcilable differences” and filed for divorce after 18 years of marriage. According to TMZ, Costner has now claimed in legal documents filed Thursday that his ex took his “property without his knowledge or consent.” The filing also alleges that Baumgartner paid her divorce attorney with an employee’s credit card, which “traditionally used for the Costner family’s house expenses” and is paid for by Costner. It further alleges that she received cash advances from other credit cards issued to housekeeping staff and used his fortune to pay for a criminal defense attorney (though no word on why she needed one). Costner also seems to suspect Baumgartner planned the split, pointing out that the marriage contract allows her to keep her private vehicle. His filing states that the couple had always leased their vehicles, but Baumgartner bought an expensive car months before the divorce.
All of those claims come just days after a judge provisionally ruled that Costner must pay $129,755 a month in child support. Both Costner and Baumgartner are seeking joint custody of their three children, ages 16, 14 and 13. According to insiders, Baumgartner initially asked for $248,000 to maintain the lifestyle the kids had become accustomed to, but later lowered the request to $217,300. Costner reportedly argued, citing the terms of the marriage, that he shouldn’t pay more than $51,940. According to Page Six, he also accused Baumgartner of actually wanting the money for cosmetic surgery.
And that’s not even the whole drama surrounding this divorce. The two also do not agree on when Baumgartner has to move out of his previously shared home. According to the insider, Costner took legal action to get her to leave, and a judge ultimately ruled that she had to be gone by the end of July. Baumgartner previously requested a delay until August 15 to allow her to find a place to stay in the current rental market. Considering how distressing this breakup was, we’re assuming that even when she and her belongings are gone, there will still be a lot of emotional baggage left behind.