Kevin Costner’s estranged wife Christine Baumgartner has asked the court to deny the actor’s request to pay his legal fees during their ongoing bitter divorce.
In court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight on Friday, the 68-year-old “Yellowstone” actor asked that his ex, 49, help pay $100,000 of his legal fees.
However, the designer, who was recently spotted vacationing in Hawaii with Costner’s bank pal, responded by asking a judge to deny the star’s request.
She claimed the Oscar winner wouldn’t have amassed such hefty fees if he hadn’t filed motions to quickly evict her from their $145 million Santa Barbara mansion.
Earlier this month, Kevin was ordered to pay $200,000 in attorney fees and $100,000 in forensic costs, according to documents. He had asked Christine to pay one-third of the total cost, which equals $100,000.
Divorce battle: Kevin Costner’s, 68, estranged wife Christine Baumgartner, 49, has asked the court to deny the actor’s request to help him pay his legal fees while the bitter divorce lingers; seen in March 2022
But Baumgartner argued that Costner could have avoided such hefty fees if he hadn’t filed a motion in July, demanding that she move out of his multimillion-dollar estate by August.
A court hearing regarding attorneys’ fees is currently scheduled for next month, August 2, in Santa Barbara.
The former couple first tied the knot in 2004 when Christine filed for divorce on May 1 after 18 years of marriage. 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.
From Kevin, who claimed his ex refused to leave the $145 million mansion despite giving her $1.45 million for a new home, to Christine, who claimed the actor tried to make her and their children “homeless,” the divorce has been far from amicable since the process began.
Earlier Monday, Christine spoke up, stressing she has no plans to “stripping” her Santa Barbara mansion before leaving the premises — which she has been obligated to do until July 31.
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”.
Fees: Earlier this month, according to documents, Kevin was ordered to pay a whopping $200,000 in legal fees and $100,000 in forensic costs, and ordered his ex to pay a third of the total fees; seen in February
Motions: She claimed the Oscar winner wouldn’t have amassed such high fees if he hadn’t filed motions to quickly evict her from their $145 million Santa Barbara mansion; former couple seen in 2014
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 week 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 other than her clothing, toiletries, handbags and jewellery.
This came after he accused her of ransacking the house they had previously stayed in.
Through his lawyer, the Yellowstone star accused his ex of taking his belongings “without his knowledge or consent,” which he says has increased significantly.
The star also claimed that Baumgartner made payments to her own divorce lawyer using a credit card owned by one of Costner’s associates, according to documents obtained by TMZ.
The latest spat between the former couple came just days after a judge ruled that Costner must pay $129,000 a month in child support, which was just over half what Baumgartner asked for but more than double what the actor-director asked him to do.
Child Support: The latest spat between the former couple comes just days after a judge ruled that Costner must pay $129,000 a month in child support; seen in 2019
In documents, Costner’s legal team wrote that Baumgartner “has shown a disturbing tendency to lose weight over the past few months, both before and after the breakup.” [Kevin’s] Property without his knowledge or consent, especially since the lawsuit was filed.”
The former couple had three children during their marriage: sons Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and daughter Grace, 13.
One of the more puzzling claims in the documents is that Baumgartner allegedly paid a criminal defense attorney $25,000, which came from a real estate fund Costner set up.
He claimed he didn’t know anything about the payment and that the money should only have been used for real estate transactions anyway.
‘Blindsided’: The divorce filing left Kevin ‘blind’ and the star was actually planning on filing for divorce first, sources told The Sun last month in June; seen in 2013
In the past: The former couple first tied the knot in 2004 when Christine filed for divorce on May 1 after 18 years of marriage; seen in 2015
Even more puzzling, however, is why Baumgartner would want or need a criminal defense attorney in the first place, and the filing does not appear to resolve that question.
The documents allege another improper payment, this time an amount paid to Baumgartner’s divorce attorney, Susan Wiesner, which Costner’s team said “was charged to an employee’s credit card traditionally used for and paid for by the Costner family’s house expenses.” [Kevin].’
They also accuse the designer of receiving cash advances on multiple credit cards that were paid for by her ex but issued to household workers.
Though several of the lawsuits in the filing appear to have been filed after Baumgartner filed for divorce from the Dances With Wolves star, Costner’s attorneys also appeared to accuse her of planning their breakup with big purchases in advance.