In new developments in Hollywood actor Kevin Costner’s tumultuous divorce from Christine Baumgartner, 49, it has been alleged that Costner is seeking revenge against his soon-to-be ex-wife. Baumgartner has been ordered to vacate the home she and Costner shared during their marriage.
The mansion is located in Santa Barbara and is valued at $145 million. Baumgartner has been told she has until the end of the month to leave.
A close friend of Baumgartner’s claims Costner has a ploy to get back at his estranged wife. The source claims:
“Costner wants revenge. He wants to humiliate her. It’s not about the house, it’s about making Christine’s life a living hell for going through with the divorce. Christine said she wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin had the police escort her off the property.
The same source goes on to say that Baumgartner was the only one of the two who cared about the welfare of their children during their parents’ divorce. She claims the handbag designer wanted to make sure the transition was peaceful. While Costner, for his part, made the situation worse and allegedly did not care about protecting his children from the trauma.
The former couple’s 18-year marriage came to an end when Baumgartner decided to file for divorce in May. They had been together for six years before tying the knot in Aspen, Colorado, in 2004, shortly after Costner ended his marriage to Silva. When they separated this year, Baumgartner agreed to leave the family home, but on her own terms.
Although the court’s original vacate date was July 12, she stated that she would not vacate until August 31, even though her prenuptial agreement stated that she would only have one month to vacate in the event that either party filed for divorce. After she missed the original deadline, the judge set a new deadline of July 31.
Baumgartner claims that Costner decided to kick her and the children out of the house without a second thought. However, Costner revealed that he has agreed to provide the mother of his children with $30,000 a month to rent a place of her choice, an additional $10,000 and assistance from his staff to help her move. Although, the 49-year-old’s same friend explains:
“Kevin knows that finding a suitable place to rent in the Padaro Lane community is going to cost a lot more than he originally offered Christine.”
The source goes further and claims that Costner was well aware of the high cost of living in that community and could have offered a more adequate amount to help Baumgartner. Instead, the source believes Costner gave her that amount on purpose to punish her.
According to the Daily Mail, Costner was the main breadwinner in the family and, at one point, was the only person in the household earning any money. In fact, Baumgartner has admitted that she currently has no income, no accessible assets, other than about $50,000, and no earning capacity.
As for the next steps in the divorce proceedings, if the judge assigned to their case validates their prenuptial agreement, Baumgartner may have to repay Costner $1.5 million. She will also be forced to fund Costner’s attorneys’ fees that they accrued while defending the prenuptial document.
Baumgartner claims financial insecurity and lack of a place to go for not wanting to vacate the $145 million family mansion. She also claims she wants to protect her children from having to move several times:
“I have to think about our three children. It’s contrary to their interests to obligate me to a rent that I might not be able to pay, especially since that would ultimately lead to multiple relocations.”
Despite Baumgartner’s claims, Costner has countered that he deposited $1.5 million into her bank account to help her with the move and that he gave her $200,000 at the beginning of their marriage, according to the prenuptial agreement. However, Baumgartner maintains that she has not used the money, as it could create problems when it comes to contesting the validity of the document.
In addition, claims are being made about the substantiality of the $1.5 million. Apparently, even that amount of money could not allow Baumgartner to buy a house in the same area as her former one or afford the luxurious lifestyle to which she and her children have become accustomed.
Despite the increased amount ($51,940) of alimony, “The Bodyguard” star offered to pay monthly for her three children, Cayden, Hayes and Grace Costner, Baumgartner maintained that the proposed amount still seemed inappropriate to her. She then proposed a total of $248,000 per month, an amount she said:
“Still falls short of the amount necessary to support the children in their accustomed lifestyle.”
Costner’s legal team found the amount to be highly unsound and inflated, despite claims by Baumgartner’s team that Costner spends that amount, if not more, on himself. On Wednesday, the judge ruled an extension of the actor’s temporary monthly deposits of $129,755, denying Costner’s request to resolve the support issue before the trial date, which will determine the validity of their prenuptial agreement. Speaking on the matter, the judge revealed:
“An evidentiary hearing is unlikely in the foreseeable future.”
Costner’s legal team has requested ten days to review the forensic accountant’s final files before the trial date. In addition, the judgment is retroactive, obligating Costner to pay child support as of July 1, if there is any change in the final judgment in the case.
