Kevin Costner’s contentious divorce with Christine Baumgartner keeps getting costlier.
In a court document filed Monday at the Superior Court of California in Santa Barbara County and obtained by People, Costner contested his estranged wife’s request for $885,000 in legal fees — and argued it was an “unreasonable” ask that was “nothing short of outrageous.”
The filing reportedly said Baumgartner already received “$405,000 in fees, including an award of $300,000 in legal fees ($200,000 in attorney’s fees and $100,000 in forensic accounting fees) on July 12” and used “$105,000 for fees” from Costner’s bank accounts.
Baumgartner, who married Costner in 2004 and shares three children with him, filed for divorce in May. Costner said in June that she defied her prenuptial agreement by refusing to move out of Costner’s $145 million home in Santa Barbara.
The former model and handbag designer requested $175,057 per month in child support, arguing at a hearing in August that her children needed more than the $129,755 per month Costner was tentatively set to pay — as luxury is “in their DNA.” Costner proposed a monthly sum of $63,209, which the judge agreed to.
In court documents obtained by ET, Baumgartner is now requesting $575,000 in attorney’s fees and $280,000 in expert costs. She says she needs the money to prepare for their upcoming trial about the validity of a spousal support waiver in their prenuptial agreement.
“Although Kevin is the wealthier party with a higher cash flow than Christine, Christine is quite capable of contributing to her own attorney’s fees. … Christine’s actions increased the fees incurred by not only Christine, but also Kevin,” argued Costner’s filing, per People.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/Associated Press
The “Yellowstone” star and his legal team reportedly argued that the sum he incurred in legal fees “cannot be the talisman of how much Christine should be awarded in fees” and that using his ability to pay those fees to demand more money “is nonsensical.”
Costner also blamed the expensive proceedings on “Christine’s uncooperative conduct.”
This presumably alluded to the discovery process of their divorce, in which Baumgartner raise unspecified objections about the validity of their prenup, forcing Costner to file an expensive order last month in an attempt to compel her to answer questions.
A judge ultimately agreed with Costner that Baumgartner owed him $14,237.50 in legal fees for the ordeal, with the actor’s filing at the time stating bluntly: “Discovery is not a game of chicken,” according to People.
The two are expected back in court in December.