The dramatic divorce saga between Kevin Costner and his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, continues to escalate with new developments…
Recent court documents have revealed that Costner, 68, is accusing 49-year-old Baumgartner of employing “stalling tactics” to prolong their already acrimonious divorce battle.
Baumgartner has now said that she didn’t understand her and Costner’s prenuptial agreement when signing it, though Costner’s legal team has dismissed this as “gamesmanship of the worst sort”, according to Entertainment Tonight.
Their conflict got pretty heated when Baumgartner refused to leave their family mansion in Santa Barbara, California, despite a prenup clause reportedly requiring that she move out.
“Christine avoids answering many of the Requests for Admission (‘RFAs’) based on the claim that the ordinary words used, words like ‘understood’ and ‘negotiation’ are too vague,” Costner’s lawyers have stated in legal documents.
The court papers also state that Baumgartner “cannot admit or deny an RFA because she does not understand the word ‘understood.'”
In earlier filings, Costner claimed that the prenuptial agreement signed in 2014 stipulated that, in the event of a divorce, Baumgartner agreed to vacate any separate property family residence she was residing in within 30 days of a divorce petition being filed.
In response, Baumgartner declared her refusal to move unless Costner agreed to her monthly child support request of $248,000. Ultimately, she vacated the Santa Barbara estate by July 31 after the court intervened and ordered her to do so. The couple shares three children – Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13.
Costner’s proposed child support payment was $51,940 per month, but a judge later ordered him to pay a whopping $129,000 per month temporarily, pending a November hearing.
While Costner’s legal team argues that he has taken swift action to speed up the divorce proceedings, they claim that Baumgartner has intentionally been evasive in responding to their requests.
The court documents also state that her refusal to address these matters in an appropriate and timely manner is a “stalling tactic designed to avoid admitting there the parties did not enter into any transmutation agreements.”
A hearing is scheduled for September 6 to address these seemingly unsolvable issues, but that is just one of many upcoming hearings. Several more have been set, including one in November to resolve a dispute over personal items reportedly removed from the family home by Baumgartner, as well as hearings to finalize Costner’s child support payments.
It seems like it’ll never end!
Baumgartner initiated the divorce proceedings in May after 18 years of marriage – citing irreconcilable differences – and listed April 11 as the separation date.
Since then, the divorce process has been marked by significant turmoil and challenges.
Let’s hope this gets resolved soon…
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- Kevin Costner scores win in bitter divorce fight: wife Christine Baumgartner ordered to vacate mansion
