Kevin Costner has been at the center of celebrity news as he continues to endure the legal proceedings present due to the split between himself and his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner. Now, as multiple outlets are reporting, Baumgartner has been ordered to pay $14 thousand in attorney fees after taking Costner to civil court to increase the monthly child support payments that he pays her.
According to a TMZ report, the couple and their representatives were present when a judge ordered Baumgartner to pay the $14,327.50 bill that Costner had incurred with his lawyers. Costner is coming off of another huge win that The American Tribune wrote about in which he was not ordered to pay an increased monthly child support payment.
Baumgartner was hoping to have the monthly fee increased to $248,000, but Costner and his team argued that the already agreed upon amount of $63,000 was more than enough for his estranged wife to maintain the lifestyle that she was living before.
According to the New York Post, much of the hearing focused around whether Baumgartner understood the prenup that she signed with Costner prior to their 2004 marriage. Court documents say, “Christine asserts she cannot admit or deny that she understood the Premarital Agreement because she (and apparently all of her attorneys) do not understand the word ‘understand.’”
Her understanding of the document prior to signing it could prove crucial in the enforcement of the document and could play a huge factor in the decision of the high-profile divorce case.
In court filings, Coster’s lawyer wrote, “Christine’s counsel asked for a definition of ‘understood’ and Kevin’s counsel provided the dictionary meaning of the word ‘understood,’ to wit, ‘comprehended or perceive the intended meaning of words.’”
While this kind of semantics may seem overkill in everyday life, in the courtroom, this kind of fine attention to detail is not uncommon. The two sides can be expected to continue ironing out the finer points of the document and its legality for months to come.
According to a Fox News report earlier this month, Costner was relying on that prenup to put an end to the brutal legal proceedings that have enveloped him and the mother of his children. He said, “The last thing I wanted was to not be able to come home to my home with my children. We did a prenup.”
The “Yellowstone” star remained adamant that the legalities of the situation would not distract him from his role as a parent. He said, “So, there’s a few things I have to do with this seismic change. There’s a few responsibilities I can’t run away from. Mostly what I have to do is figure out how to spend more time with the children and help walk them through this … spend a little time with myself.”
Costner and Baumgartner were together since 2004 but now have decided to call it quits. As they continue to figure out the finances behind the split, they will also have to become accustomed to coparenting the three children that they are still raising together.
"*" indicates required fields