Kevin Costner’s Estranged Wife Christine Baumgartner Ordered to Pay $14K of His Legal Fees
Despite Christine Baumgartner’s request for estranged husband Kevin Costner to pay her divorce lawyer’s fees, she was ordered to reimburse the actor.
Judge Thomas Anderle ruled on Wednesday, September 6, that Baumgartner, 49, must pay Costner, 68, nearly $14,237.50 of his attorney fees, per TMZ. The funds will cover how much Costner spent in the exes’ back and forth about their prenuptial agreement.
Us Weekly confirmed last month that Baumgartner was trying to get Costner to provide money for her own fees. According to court documents filed on August 30, Baumgartner initially paid her lawyer’s retainer with “funds made available to Christine by Kevin” and will owe approximately $114,888 in additional fees accrued before a settlement is reached.
Costner, however, slammed her requests to foot her bill after scoring a victory in their child support battle.
“Kevin anticipates Christine will demand more fees and costs in excess of the $405,000 he has already paid for her fees and costs in this proceeding,” his team wrote in the August documents obtained by Us. “Kevin opposes Christine’s request, in part, because the fees and costs she has thus far incurred were not ‘wisely devoted to the expeditious disposition of the case.’ Christine’s ‘need’ for another contribution to her fees and costs is disingenuous.
Costner — who shares sons Cayden, 15, Logan, 14 and daughter Grace, 12, with Baumgartner — further asserted in the filing that he was concerned about running “out of money” if he consistently agreed to all of her requests.
Baumgartner filed for divorce in May after nearly 19 years of marriage. She cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their separation and requested $248,000 in child support from Costner to be able to finance their kids’ lifestyles because, as she mentioned in her recent testimony, “luxury is in their DNA.” A judge ruled in August that Costner will pay Baumgartner $63,209 per month in child support.
Costner broke his silence on the pair’s messy divorce on Friday, September 1, after a court hearing. “This is a horrible place to be, but this is where we’re at,” he told Access Hollywood. “It feels so bad and we’re talking about somebody I love on the other side, I just can’t.”
Baumgartner, who was ordered to move out of the home she shared with Costner in July, has reportedly moved into a four-bedroom rental property. According to the Daily Mail, she is paying her landlord approximately $40,000 per month in exchange for her tenancy.
