(Court TV) — Kevin Costner and his estranged wife are set to come face-to-face in court twice this month amid bitter divorce proceedings.
Costner and Christine Baumgartner are expected to appear at a case-management conference on July 5, and a separate hearing regarding child support is scheduled for July 12.
Kevin Costner, left, and Christine Baumgartner arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
After 18 years of marriage, Baumgartner filed for divorce on May 1, 2023. In court filings, she listed the couple’s date of separation as April 11, 2023, and cited “irreconcilable differences” as their reason for the separation.
According to a prenuptial agreement the couple signed before they got married in 2004, Baumgartner is entitled to $1.4 million. In addition to the $1.4 million, Costner has offered to pay $38,000 a month in child support; however, Baumgartner is seeking $248,000 per month in child support for the couple’s three children, ages 16, 14, and 13. In her divorce filing, Baumgartner asked for joint custody of the kids.
Costner, 68, also has four other children from previous relationships. This will be Costner’s second divorce. The Oscar winner’s first marriage to Cindy Silva ended in 1994 after 16 years. Silva reportedly received an $80 million settlement.
Costner, who made reportedly made $20 million in 2022, insists his 2023 income won’t come close to that figure, now that he has departed the popular Paramount series “Yellowstone.” In all, Costner is reported to have amassed a $400 million fortune.
In her filing, Baumgartner alleges that $1.4 million “is less than the amount needed to maintain the children in their accustomed lifestyle.” She also wants Costner to pay for all three kids’ private-school tuition, extracurricular activities, sports, and healthcare.
Baumgartner, 49, had initially refused to vacate the couple’s Santa Barbara, California home until an agreement regarding child support payments had been reached, but may agree to leave by August 31 if they can reach an agreement at the July 12 court hearing. The couple’s prenup contains a clause that states Baumgartner must vacate the home within 30 days of filing for divorce.
Other topics that may be addressed at that hearing include requests for a preliminary injunction, an order sealing PMA (Premarital Agreement), bifurcation of the issue of validity, and enforceability of the PMA. If the case proceeds to trial, dates may be set as well.
