Kevin Costner recently sent a special message to his fans, amid his messy divorce. On Instagram, Costner shared a throwback photo of himself, and wrote in the caption, “Happy Monday, friends. Wishing health and happiness for all of you.” The post was originally shared just ahead of Costner and his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner settling their divorce. According to TMZ, Baumgartner received a significant settlement payment, though other details remain sparse.
Costner, 68, and Baumgartner, 49, were married for 18 years, having tied the knot in September 2004. Baumgartner filed for divorce from Costner earlier this summer, citing irreconcilable differences and listing the date of separation as April 11. She also requested joint custody of their three teenage children: Cayden, Hayes and Grace. In his legal response, Costner also cited irreconcilable differences, as well as asked for joint custody of their kids. It was previously noted that Costner’s filing mentioned a prenup, which TMZ reported a judge ordered Baumgartner not to contest, otherwise, she would have to pay her ex $1 million for violating the terms.
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Prior to the settlement, Baumgartner was dealt a legal blow when she was ordered to pay Costner’s attorney fees. The ruling was handed down after Baumgartner had requested that Costner pay nearly $9,000 in her attorney’s fees. The judge said in court, “I spent a lot of time trying to capture exactly what it is you didn’t have.”
According to legal documents obtained by Fox News Digital, the Yellowstone actor previously requested for the court to have Baumgartner pay more than $14,000 in “reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred” after she “refused in bad faith” to answer questions — approved by the judge — that his legal team sent to her. Baumgartner is now expected to submit her answers, and pay the $14,000 by Sept. 22. Notably, while he did order Baumgartner to Costner’s lawyer fees, the judge did deny other parts of Costner’s request.
During another recent hearing, the court reduced Costner’s child-support payments from $129,000 to $63,209, though Baumgartner had been fighting for an increase. The change seems to be due to Costner explaining that income from his Paramount Network series, Yellowstone, should not be included in the child support since he is done with the show. Additionally, Baumgartner moved into a new rental home in Montecito, California over the weekend, according to The Daily Mail. The Santa Barbara County rental property costs $40,000 per month, but Baumgartner is apparently not happy about it. Baumgartner reportedly testified that the rental property is not sufficient to provide her children the living arrangements — or “comparable lifestyle” — they are used to at Costner’s home.
