Kevin Costner Wins Bitter Child Support Divorce Battle With Wife Christine Baumgartner

By Haider Ali in News On 3rd September 2023
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A judicial agreement regarding child support between Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner has been reached.

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18-year-long partners filed for divorce in May, and since then, they have been embroiled in court proceedings. 

Baumgartner's child support will now only be $63,000 per month according to a judge's decision.

This is almost $100,000 less than the $161,000 she had requested in court and less than half of the $129,000 per month she had previously been receiving.

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After two days of hearings, during which both parties presented what they thought to be a reasonable amount, the decision was decided. In the legal dispute, according to Costner, "no winners" were found.

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He told Fox News Digital: "You know, when you have a life that long with somebody, there is no winner...and it's this big, crazy thing called life and how it unravels so quickly,' he told Fox News Digital.

"One minute you feel like you're on top of the world, and then you realize how, you know, how vulnerable you are."

During the hearing's closing arguments, the Man of Steel and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves actor took the witness stand and stated that he didn't want to be compelled to work on a project he didn't want to because of an "inflated" sum of child support.

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He told the court: "I want to help but the thought of having things inflated to the point I can't do what I want to do…

"Somehow in this unusual world, we didn't make it and for that, I'm sorry."

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Costner said: "She's an incredible mom. We will figure it out and we'll share. We just got to kind of convalesce right now."

The legal team representing Baumgartner had already achieved success when they were successful in getting child support temporarily established at $129,000 per month.

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She then requested $169,000 a month, but Judge Thomas Anderle ruled that this was more than the children of the couple would "reasonably need."

The Baumgartner team had contended that Costner's $73 million beachfront home was "not comparable" to Baumgartner's $40,000 per month property. 

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When the lease was over, they advised her to rent the beachfront home for $150,000 per month, where the kids could spend time.

They asserted, among other things, that because Baumgartner's property doesn't have an ocean view, it represented a decline in living conditions from the family house.

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Prior to being married, the couple agreed to a prenuptial payment of $1.5 million to Baumgartner, which she has already received.

In November, there will be another hearing.

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It sheds light on the intricate nature of financial settlements in such cases, as well as the emotional toll that divorce can take on individuals and families.

As the legal proceedings continue, the couple faces the challenges of co-parenting and adjusting to their new lives apart, with the well-being of their children at the forefront of their minds.