Christine Baumgartner doesn’t seem to be having much luck with the judge who is presiding over her child support case with Kevin Costner. Not only has her payment been reduced from the temporary $129,000 per month to $63,209 per month, but she now has an additional tab to pay.
Costner’s latest victory comes in the form of attorney’s fees. Baumgartner has been ordered to pay a whopping $14,237.50 to her estranged husband after failing to answer to his “straightforward discovery requests” in their divorce case even though she had three months to do so, according to court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight. The Yellowstone star believes his ex-wife used “stalling tactics” to prolong their case, which included allegations of not having a comprehensive understanding of the prenuptial agreement she signed before their wedding in 2004. The 68-year-old actor was furious, calling it “gamesmanship of the worst sort.”
He asked that Baumgartner be sanctioned because he “should never have been forced to file [his] motion to compel” — Baumgartner should have answered his lawyer’s requests in timely fashion. The judge agreed with Costner’s filing, and it is the actor’s hope that “this [sanction] will be a deterrent to any discovery abuse on Christine’s part in the future.” It’s a hard — and expensive — lesson to learn, especially for Baumgartner who worked intermittently outside the home since marrying Costner.
The latest judgment doesn’t end their divorce case as they have another hearing on Sept. 20 to argue other aspects of their attorneys’ fees. Baumgartner has already moved to a luxurious $40,000 rental home in Montecito, but she is still challenging the prenup in the what the judge described as a “contentious” case. These two former lovebirds are going to fight until the bitter end.
Before you go, click here for all the celebrity splits and divorces we never saw coming.
Leave a Comment