Kevin Costner Accused Ex of Waging a 'Relentless Jihad' Against Him Before Child Support Outcome

The actor's lawyer claimed Christine Costner's "attacks" are a "smoke screen to deflect attention from her lack of candor"

Kevin Costner said in court documents last week that he feels his estranged wife Christine is waging war against him in their divorce.

Christine, 49, filed for divorce on May 1, and a rep for Kevin, 68, said at the time that "circumstances beyond his control" led to the breakup. The pair, who wed in 2004, share three children: Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13.

Both sat in a Santa Barbara courtroom last Thursday and Friday for a hearing about child support. After testimony from Christine and Kevin, the judge ruled Friday that Kevin will pay $63,209 per month instead of the $161,592 Christine sought.

Prior to the hearing, Kevin's lawyers claimed in documents filed Wednesday, Aug. 30, that Christine was making "utterly false" points in her quest for child support.

"Christine argues that Kevin 'steadfastly refuses' to pay child support sufficient to meet the children’s reasonable needs. That is demonstrably false and purposely inflammatory," his attorneys wrote. "The parties simply differ on what 'reasonable needs' means in the context of child support."

Related: Kevin Costner and Ex Talk Next Steps amid Divorce: She'll 'Enter the Workforce,' He Wants 'Time for Myself'

They continued, "Christine’s relentless 'jihad' against Kevin’s character adds a level of animosity to this proceeding that is wholly unnecessary, and meant to distract from the intellectual exercise at hand."

"Christine’s attack is a smoke screen to deflect attention from her lack of candor regarding her own financial situation," Kevin's lawyers said.

The court filing also mentioned that Christine's "boyfriend recently gave her $20,000." This is a reference to Josh Connor, the financier friend who was spotted on vacation in Hawaii with Christine in July.

She addressed Connor and the money he lent her when she took the stand on Thursday. Her attorney told the courtroom that Connor is a friend of Christine's and "nothing more than that." Also, Christine answered "no" when asked whether Connor is her boyfriend.

Christine claimed that Connor, a family friend, gave her $20,000 and said "do what you want with it," and she gave half to her mother. She said she didn't plan on touching the other $10,000: "I was hoping things would work themselves out and I wouldn’t be using someone else’s money."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

When both sides were making their case for child support amounts in court, Christine's lawyer said living a luxurious life is “in their DNA at this point,” referring to the kids. Meanwhile, Kevin said in his testimony, "My biggest concern is that the court orders me to pay child support that is above the needs of my children and for the needs of Christine."

While she was on the stand before the judge made the ruling, Christine said a decrease in financial status would affect their kids. After moving out of their sprawling family home to comply with a court order, Christine said she is now in a $40,000-per-month rental since she’s “being conservative … because I have been very unsure what I will get and what the outcome of this case will be."

She added that she "will look into the steps I need to take and any schooling I need to do, and I will enter the workforce” in order to support herself.

About the child support amount she was requesting, Christine said, "I am not asking for a compound of five houses" but rather to use the cost to provide a comparable lifestyle for the kids when they are with her. That cost “is our lifestyle, it’s how we lived."

Kevin and Christine will appear in court again later this fall to hash out the validity of their premarital agreement.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.