Hollywood star Kevin Costner appeared in a Santa Barbara court Thursday as part of a bitter child support battle with his estranged wife over their three children.
During the hearing, Christine Baumgartner broke down in tears after she detailed her lavish lifestyle, according to multiple reports. Among the perks of being Mrs. Kevin Costner included the ability to ship 40 tons of snow to their California property to celebrate Christmas.
The Yellowstone star is in the midst of an acrimonious divorce from Baumgartner following 18 years of marriage. The couple have three children together — sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, as well as daughter Grace, 13.
Actor Kevin Costner, wife Christine Baumgartner and children Grace Avery Costner, Hayes Logan Costner, and Cayden Wyatt Costner on February 9, 2015, in Hollywood, California. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
The reason for Thursday’s court appearance is Baumgartner’s request for $175,057 a month in child support, which represents a more than $46,000 increase from the $129,000 a month she’s currently receiving from Costner, who is fighting the request.
On Thursday, a lawyer for Baumgartner reportedly announced that they are slightly reducing the request to $161,592 a month. During the hearing, he portrayed Costner as a wealthy man who could easily afford to make the enhanced payments.
One of Costner’s attorneys reportedly countered by accusing Baumgartner of leading a lavish lifestyle and waging a “relentless jihad” against his client that led to this “wholly unnecessary” court hearing.
The actor’s legal team has accused Baumgartner in court documents of receiving $20,000 from a “boyfriend.” On Thursday, Baumgartner reportedly said she received the money from a mutual friend named Joshua Connor, who she said was not a “boyfriend.”
Baumgartner became tearful in court when her lawyers recounted that Costner had been paying her mother $5000 a month “for years” but the payments stopped when they separated, according to a Daily Mail report.
On the stand, she recounted the family’s Christmas parties during which they would truck 40 tons of snow to a ten-acre plot they own close to their main California residence, according to the report. She also described how the family would hire “all the animals from the stable in Bethlehem” for the children to ride, as well as creating a forest of fir trees and paths for toboggan runs.
She also “began to cry as her lawyer argued that she would not be able to find a rental home with comparable value of the former couple’s vacation homes — including the Aspen home,” according to a Fox News report.
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