LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kevin Costner’s divorce battle with estranged wife Christine Baumgartner is showing no sign of slowing down. Rather, with every passing week, the legal procedures are becoming more contentious. Recently, the ‘Yellowstone’ star asked Baumgartner to pay $100,000 in legal fees for the ongoing divorce battle which the handbag designer declined.
One of the major points of discontent between the former couple is regarding the date on which Baumgartner agreed to vacate the home. While the legal fees in such high-profile cases can be huge, additional motions may incur even higher fees.
Why is Christine Baumgartner refusing to pay Kevin Costner's demand for $100K in legal fees?
Upon Costner’s request for compensation of the legal fee, Baumgartner counter-filed on Thursday, July 20, asking the court to deny Costner’s request of $100,000 in legal fees, per Entertainment Tonight. She reasoned that Costner wouldn’t have incurred the fees had she vacated the couple’s Southern California home in due time. She further reasoned in the filing that had Costner waited for her to move out on August 31 as she had agreed before, instead of filing an additional motion in July, the Oscar-winning actor would not have incurred the additional fees. The hearing for the legal fees is scheduled for August 2 in Santa Barbara.
The estranged couple has been entangled in a bitter custody battle and property battle ever since Baumgartner filed for divorce on May 1. While she marked April 11 as the day of separation, her reason for filing the divorce was irreconcilable differences. After her filing, Costner also reacted soon with his own filing, asking for joint custody of their children and calling Baumgartner out for not leaving their sea-facing property, despite having a prenup assigned at the time of their marriage which required her to vacate the family property within 30 days of filing the divorce.
However, Baumgartner quipped back that she would not move until her financial demands regarding child support is fulfilled. While Costner initially agreed to pay $51,940 per month in child support, Baumgartner contested it by saying it was "completely inappropriate." Nevertheless, a July hearing granted Baumgartner $129,000 per month for child support temporarily, which was just half of the $248K she demanded. Moreover, on July 5, Baumgartner was ordered to vacate the home by the end of the month.
What are the other payments made by Kevin Costner before?
In one of his previous filings, Costner claimed that he had already paid Baumgartner’s attorney’s fees, paid her $1.2 million as per their prenup, and has been continuously paying child support. He has also claimed that he is ready to pay $200,000 as a down payment for Baumgartner’s new property after the divorce and would also cover the ancillary costs including monthly mortgage, property tax, and insurance payments as detailed in the prenup.
In another filing early in July, Costner claimed that Baumgartner was planning the exit for a long time and he understood it from a pattern in her expenses. Court documents obtained by People stated, "Months before separation, although the parties had always leased their automobiles, without [Costner's] knowledge or consent, [Christine] bought an expensive vehicle for her personal use (probably because the [prenuptial agreement] allows her to take that vehicle with her).” The documents concluded, "Thus, it appears that [Christine] had been planning her exit long before she told [Costner] in April 2023."
