Kevin Costner wins ugly baby assist battle with estranged spouse Christine Baumgartner: Choose slashes sum she receives for his or her three kids in HALF to $63,000 a month

Kevin Costner has scored a dramatic victory in his divorce battle with estranged spouse Christine Baumgartner after a choose in Santa Barbara slashed her baby assist funds to $63,000 per 30 days – lower than half of the $129,000 she presently will get and significantly lower than the $161,000 she needed.

The judgement got here on the finish of a two day evidentiary listening to which noticed both sides set out what they believed to be a ‘reasonable’ amount of child support and why.

After the decision, Costner stated there have been ‘no winners’ within the bruising battle.

‘You already know, when you will have a life that lengthy with any person, there is no such thing as a winner…and it is this massive, loopy factor referred to as life and the way it unravels so shortly,’ he informed Fox News Digital. 

‘One minute you are feeling such as you’re on prime of the world, and then you definitely understand how, , how weak you’re.’ 

He stated he and Baumgartner would finally work out a good custody association, and praised her as a mom.

‘She’s an unbelievable mother,’ he stated. ‘We’ll determine it out and we’ll share. We simply obtained to type of convalesce proper now.’ 

Costner took the stand for a second time through the ultimate hour of the listening to and informed the court docket that his largest concern was being compelled to tackle jobs he did not wish to ought to Baumgartner be awarded an ‘inflated’ stage of kid assist.

He additionally apologized to his estranged spouse of 18 years, saying: ‘I wish to assist however the considered having issues inflated to the purpose I am unable to do what I wish to do…

‘One way or the other on this uncommon world, we did not make it and for that, I am sorry.’

There can be a trial in November over the prenuptial settlement and her request for spousal assist.

The listening to was on the request of Baumgartner’s workforce – who had scored a victory of their very own in June when baby assist was briefly set at $129,000.

However that was overturned by Choose Thomas Anderle who determined that her request for baby assist totaling $161,000 per 30 days was extreme, and above what the three Costner kids would ‘fairly want’.

She had argued that her new $40,000-per-month property was not ‘comparable’ to Costner’s $73m beachside pad, and argued that the kids ought to spend their time together with her at a $150,000-a-month beachside residence she hoped to lease as soon as her six-month lease is up.

Baumgartner additionally complained her new property doesn’t have an ocean view and stated the usual of dwelling on the new home couldn’t examine to that of the marital residence.

A transfer again to the seashore is now unlikely to occur except she wins a second trial in November the place her workforce will argue that she ought to get spousal assist – although she signed a prenup that allowed for a single lump sum cost of $1.5m that she has already obtained.

Costner regarded shocked on listening to the decision, whereas a crestfallen Baumgartner stood up on listening to the information and shortly conferred together with her authorized workforce. 

Each slipped out of court docket through a again exit.

The dramatic judgment got here on the finish of a day that noticed Costner testify twice – first as a witness for his spouse and later for himself.

He informed the court docket: ‘My largest concern is that the court docket orders me to pay baby assist that’s above the affordable wants of the kids, that it isn’t what they want however what Christine wants.

‘I may run out of money in a short time and that would drive me to take jobs I do not wish to do and work later than I wish to work.’

He added: ‘My properties in Aspen and right here, I may lose them. I’ve spent my complete life constructing them as locations for me and my household and buddies. I did not get good grades however for sharing, the column has all the time stated A.’

A lot of the monetary dialogue centered on smash hit present Yellowstone, with Costner telling court docket he had been in negotiations to do season six however Paramount walked away after baulking at his wage calls for.

He additionally informed court docket that his present Horizon movie venture – which he has invested $23m of his personal money into – is a danger however he finally hopes to earn a $12m wage from all 4 movies plus a lower of the earnings. He couldn’t say when or how a lot that may be as not one of the movies have been launched.

Baumgartner had claimed he spends $240,000-a-month in dwelling prices however forensic accountant Tracy Katz identified a lot of the spending within the calculations included her personal outlay.

In line with Katz, who’s working for Costner, Baumgartner’s share of that complete included $18,000 on medical payments, $18,855 on clothes and $3,377 on magnificence therapies.

On prime of that, the 49-year-old was liable for the lion’s share of the $8,886 in money taken out at ATM machines in keeping with Katz.

The embattled couple will return to court docket on Wednesday for a shorter listening to which is able to embrace Choose Anderle’s resolution on who pays authorized prices.

Baumgartner’s workforce is requesting Costner pays a projected authorized invoice of over $800,000 whereas the actor racked up a tab of greater than $600,000 between Could and the top of July.

Costner’s testimony adopted a morning dominated by wrangling over figures and whether or not or not the actor’s tax liabilities had been taken under consideration.

At one level, the actor was seen nodding in settlement when his lawyer Susan Wiesner obtained forensic accountant Jill Bombino to simply accept his tax funds had not been deducted from her figures.

Rydell claimed that was as a result of Costner failed to show his tax returns over to his spouse’s workforce.

Her workforce say his charges from the Paramount present must be included as a part of his complete earnings, whereas his workforce say they need to not – describing it as previous and never future earnings.

Costner lower a laconic determine on the stand, steadily making quips and drawing chuckles from onlookers however turned critical when the dialogue turned in direction of the revenues he has constituted of Yellowstone.

Having been proven a breakdown of his charges from the exhibits, he stated: ‘I used to be involved concerning the first three years. I believed I made $5m.’

Informed he made extra, he deadpanned: ‘Oh good. I believed we had been going to must launch a treasure hunt to seek out it.’

Costner informed court docket he had initially agreed to make seasons 5, six and 7 of the Western collection and had negotiated a price of $12m for every.

However season 5 was bifurcated into season 5A and 5B – every with eight episodes. He informed court docket he had rearranged his schedule to shoot 5B – even shifting filming of his film Horizon to accommodate it – for which he charged a ‘$10m push price’ that was plowed into the film funds.

However by the point he was able to movie final fall, work on scripts for 5B hadn’t been accomplished, leaving him with a niche in his schedule.

Costner says negotiations over season six continued in February and once more in Could over cash and ‘inventive variations’, however he says Paramount finally walked away after he requested for $12m to movie that season.

He stated: ‘It is a bit disappointing that the No.1 present on tv just isn’t producing. I will in all probability go to court docket over it. I am disillusioned within the manufacturing.’

Discuss additionally turned to Costner’s 4 half collection of movies – Horizon – which he has funded to the tune of $20m and owns a 3rd share in.

Horizon one and two are full and Costner stated he expects a price of $12m for every one however has deferred that cost for now to keep away from overstretching the movie’s funds.

Challenged over why he did not simply take the $24m price he’s owed, Costner stated: ‘I’d have appreciated to have it. I believe anybody would however I did what I believed was proper.’

Requested if he expects to make a revenue on Horizon as soon as it’s launched, he drawled: ‘Boy, I might prefer it to roll.’

His lawyer Laura Wasser made a brief opening assertion.

In it, she accused Baumgartner of creating ‘unreasonable’ monetary calls for and poured chilly water on the notion that the Costner kids care about ocean views and what occurs at their father’s Aspen ranch when they don’t seem to be there.

Wasser informed court docket the Costner household ‘don’t dwell like film stars’, including that the kids don’t put on designer garments or drive costly automobiles, and attend common public colleges.

She informed court docket Costner not owns his personal non-public jet and added: ‘However even in LA, I’ve by no means seen a toddler assist request this excessive.’

Wasser and Costner say Baumgartner plans to dwell off the kid assist funds, regardless of having already obtained a $1.5m payout – an quantity specified within the former couple’s prenuptial settlement within the occasion of a divorce.

She additionally described Baumgartner’s much-maligned new residence as ‘beautiful’ and identified it has options equivalent to a jacuzzi, which Costner’s property doesn’t have.

Concluding, Wasser described Baumgartner’s calls for as ‘overreach’ and famous that there can be a trial in November over the prenuptial settlement and her request for spousal assist.

Each Costner and Baumgartner arrived early for the second day, with Costner sneaking in via a aspect door a navy blue tailor-made swimsuit. Baumgartner wore a black slacks and a white shirt.

Costner’s new position is because of his ongoing divorce battle with the pair preventing over baby assist funds – he desires to pay $60,000 per 30 days whereas she is demanding $161,592.

On the opening day of the two-day listening to, the court docket heard how Costner rakes in $1,468,953 per 30 days and lives in a sprawling beachfront property with 5 tons inside that’s value between $75m and $95m in keeping with Baumgartner.

She is presently renting a luxurious residence for $40,000-a-month however says it is not adequate for his or her household and needs to commerce as much as a $150,000-a-month residence near her outdated one if she will be able to get her baby assist funds bumped up.

Throughout her testimony, Baumgartner described the household’s lavish life-style – together with Christmas events that noticed the pair ship 40 tons of snow to sunny Santa Barbara and Aspen holidays at Costner’s 160,000-acre ranch. Moreover, the household reportedly spends $40,000 per 30 days on flowers and items.

However issues turned edgy when the topic of Josh Connor – a household buddy who she traveled to Hawaii with final month – was raised.

Costner has accused her of being in a relationship with recently-divorced Connor. Because of this, Baumgartner was compelled to disclaim the pair had been an merchandise on the stand and was made to try to clarify two envelopes of money he gave her – every containing $10,000.

One was handed to her mom who, till the separation, had been having fun with month-to-month funds of $5,000-a-month in direction of her mortgage.

Baumgartner says she stored the opposite at residence and finally returned it to Connor ‘as a result of I do not want the cash proper now.’

She informed the court docket he had dropped the envelopes in her purse after she had confided in him that she was nervous about her funds because of the ongoing divorce battle.

The mom-of-three additionally needed to admit she had borrowed $80,000 from her brother to pay the primary installment of the lease on her new residence however blamed that on Costner who, she stated, had beforehand deducted money from her present baby assist funds.

She stated she had since reimbursed her brother for the cash however squirmed when requested by Susan Wiesner – one among Costner’s attorneys – whether or not she plans to get a job or is in reality planning to pay her payments utilizing the kid assist she is awarded.

The 49-year-old additionally turned sharp when Wiesner identified she purchased her mother and father a $50,000 BMW SUV every on the finish of 2022 and starting of 2023 and had acquired a membership on the Montecito Nation Membership for herself and her household across the similar time.

Membership charges on the luxurious golf membership begin at $100,000 however can price as a lot as $275,000 for the highest tier.

Previous to that, Baumgartner additionally spent a very long time explaining why her new residence does not provide her kids a ‘comparable’ life-style to the one they’ve with their father.

Adjusting a pair of white-framed glasses and talking confidently, she talked the court docket via a collection of images of Costner’s Carpinteria property – amongst them footage displaying the bleached wooden deck, an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, a rooster coop and two visitor properties. 

Inside photographs confirmed decor designed to chime with what she described as ‘California dwelling’ with colourful striped rugs, tan leather-based couches and an enormous marble desk with darkish picket chairs overlooking the ocean. 

Baumgartner, who launched herself to the court docket as ‘Costner’, additionally informed of the household’s sporty life-style which incorporates common browsing, fishing, scuba diving and volleyball. 

That features a boat owned by their son Cayden, 16, and a devoted room put aside to carry the household’s giant assortment of surfboards, wetsuits and paddle boards. 

The Carpinteria property consists of 5 separate tons, one among which is a former neighbor’s residence bought in 2016 and now used as a guesthouse, in addition to a website for ‘sitting by the hearth and roasting marshmallows’ and holding household celebrations. 

In his opening assertion, Baumgartner’s lawyer John Rydell referenced the attention watering sums concerned – telling court docket Costner rakes in additional than $1.4m per 30 days. 

Throughout his deposition two weeks in the past, the Dances with Wolves star put his month-to-month dwelling bills at $240,000 however desires to pay his ex not more than $60,000 per 30 days. 

Within the newest deposition Katz claims that almost all of that $240,000 determine is cash that Baumgartner spent on herself, together with $18,000 in medical payments, $18,855 on clothes, and $3,377 on magnificence therapies. She is also reportedly liable for the majority of their ATM withdrawals, amounting to $8,886. 

Rydell additionally spoke of the household’s lavish life-style when in Aspen, Colorado – describing how the ranch has sledding trails that gentle up at night time and have music piped via the bushes, in addition to a number of canoes and fishing lakes. 

In line with Rydell, the property is presently being rented out for an eye-watering $50,000 per day.