The Yellowstone actor’s wife is requesting his help in covering her ongoing costs for their divorce
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s legal battle over their divorce is going for the long haul, and it is costing them a pretty penny.
The Yellowstone actor and his estranged wife have been at odds over a myriad of issues pertaining to their prenup, including over child support and their residential properties, ever since Christine filed for divorce on May 1.
Four months in, the legal battle is far from over, and as the two continue to dispute their divorce settlement – and even prepare to go to court in November – Christine is requesting financial assistance from her husband to afford the costly legal battle.
In new court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight, Christine has claimed she now owes $314,113 for “for past fees and costs,” allegedly pertaining to the divorce proceedings.
In turn, she is requesting $855,000 from the Dances with Wolves director in order to cover the ongoing cost of the divorce.
The documents also reveal that Kevin’s own fees the last four months of the legal battle have tallied up to a whopping $644,000.
Kevin slammed Christine’s near-million dollar request as “outrageous” and “nonsensical,” and said she had failed to provide the court “with any evidence that 1,106 hours of attorney time at $800 per hour is necessary to prepare” for the upcoming trial.
The trial, slated for November, is set to settle the validity of Kevin and Christine’s PMA (premarital agreement), which the latter has continuously challenged.
In court documents previously obtained by People, Kevin’s legal team declared: “Four months into this matter, and three months away from the commencement of the trial on the validity of the PMA, Christine refuses to make known all of her contentions regarding the validity of the PMA.”
Ahead of the trial, Christine has allegedly both challenged many of the prenup’s stipulations and claimed she “didn’t fully understand” its terms when she signed it. Her soon-to-be ex-husband described that move as “stalling tactics” to drag out their divorce proceedings and as “gamesmanship of the worst sort.”
Not only has Christine now spent nearly half a million dollars over the divorce, but the decision to challenge the PMA could cost her triple that cost. Under the terms of the former couple’s prenup, it was agreed that Christine would receive a $1.5 million payout should they divorce.
However, their prenup also states: “If Christine, in any manner, challenges or assists in the challenge of the validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement, she shall lose any and all rights to receive any payment, Property or Interest from Kevin pursuant to this Agreement.”
Moreover, the prenup dictates that should either party retain counsel in order to either enforce or breach the agreement, as is the case now, the prevailing party would be reimbursed for the legal fees incurred by the non-prevailing party.
