Kevin Costner out to make life a ‘living hell’ for ex Christine Baumgartner
This divorce could “Costner” her dearly.
The “Yellowstone” star allegedly isn’t seeking an amicable split: Kevin Costner reportedly plans to make the life of his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, a “living hell” since the couple filed for divorce, an anonymous source reported.
“He wants to humiliate her,” Baumgartner’s close friend, who opted to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail. “This isn’t about the house, it’s about making Christine’s life a living hell for actually going through with the divorce.”
The 49-year-old handbag designer and the 68-year-old actor and director had filed for divorce in May, citing “irreconcilable differences” after an 18-year marriage.
The split quickly turned ugly, with the couple butting heads over child support payments along with the $145 million Santa Barbara mansion that they once shared, which she now has 48 hours to vacate.
“Christine said she wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin had her escorted off the property by police,” the pal claimed.
For the uninitiated, Costner had been pushing to get Baumgartner to leave the marital property for weeks, citing a premarital agreement they both signed in 2004 that stipulated she would blow within 30 days in the event of a split.
However, Baumgartner argued that she would leave on her own terms as the Academy Award winner had “no legal basis” to kick her out.
The model pledged to vacate the estate on August 31 in line with the results of a court date originally slated for July 12.
And while the original deadline has passed, the judge has scheduled a new move-out date for July 31.
The prenuptial’s validity is slated to be decided upon in court in November with legal experts expecting Costner’s ex to challenge the contract.
Baumgartner, for one, has accused the “Dances With Wolves” star of asking the court “to precipitously kick her and the children out of the family home.”
Her unidentified pal, meanwhile, has claimed that she was acting in the best interest of their three kids: son Cayden 16, and daughters Hayden 14, and Grace, 13.
“It was Christine who wanted to make this transition as peaceful as possible for the sake of the children,” she reportedly declared. “Kevin has done the complete opposite. He’s not thinking about the kids, about how traumatizing this is.”
The “Bodyguard” actor has vowed to facilitate the move by giving Baumgartner $30,000 per month to rent a property of her choosing on top of the $10,000 he paid ahead of the relocation.
He also pledged the aid of his staff to help with the move.
However, Baumgartner’s friend claims that this offer was a dirty trick disguised as a goodwill gesture, fuming: “Kevin knows that finding a suitable place to rent in the Padaro Lane community is going to cost much more than what he was originally offering Christine.”
She added that Costner could’ve made things “easy” by offering her an “amount that made it viable to continue living in the community” but instead opted to “punish her” by making her seek new accommodations.
Meanwhile, in a prior court filing, Baumgartner had accused her ex of wanting her to “rent [a] place without [a] financial plan in place,” according to Daily Mail’s exclusive.
“[I] have our three children to think about,” she said.” It is contrary to their best interests to commit to [a] rental that [I] may not be able to afford, particularly as that would ultimately lead to multiple relocations.”
She added, “My goal has been and continues to be maintaining as much stability for our children as possible, which includes having the proper resources and plan in place so that [I] can establish [a] stable home for them, rather than making temporary and inconsistent housing arrangements.”
Costner is currently the family’s primary, and recently only, breadwinner while his estranged partner claims she has “no income, no earning capacity and no accessible assets other than about $50,000.”
The California native has reportedly deposited $ 1.5 million in Baumgartner’s bank account to help her with the move; however, she deemed it a paltry sum given the lifestyle to which she’s accustomed.
Baumgartner has refused to accept the money as doing so would negate her ability to contest the prenup during the upcoming fall court date.
If the document is ruled valid — a decision judge appears to be leaning towards, per the Daily Mail — the purse maven will be forced to return the $1.5 million to Costner.
She will also have to foot the bill for “The Untouchables” star’s attorney Laura Wasser, who previously defended the prenup in court.
Of course, the relocation tiff is just one of several battles in the pair’s ongoing and increasingly heated divorce war.
Earlier this week, Costner was ordered to pay Baumgartner $129,755 per month to support their three children — more than double his proposed amount of child support of $51,940 a month.
This comes after Baumgartner had deemed the latter amount “completely inappropriate,” claiming that she needed $248,000 a month in child support.
Costner, in turn, disputed this amount, claiming he couldn’t afford her desired monetary figure due to his changing job situation.
He also argued that she was using the money for cosmetic procedures, boutique shopping, and other expenses that have nothing to do with child support.
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