Kevin Costner‘s ongoing divorce from his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner has gotten even uglier after his attorney accused her of ransacking their former shared home.
Through his attorney, the 68-year-old Yellowstone star accused his ex, 49, of taking his belongings ‘without his knowledge or consent,’ which he claims has increased significantly after she ‘blindsided’ him by filing for divorce ahead of him.
The star also claimed Baumgartner had made payments to her own divorce attorney via a credit card that belongs to one of Costner’s employees, according to documents obtained by TMZ.
The latest bickering between the former couple comes just days after a judge determined that Costner must pay $129,000 per month in child support, which was a little over half of what Baumgartner had been requesting, but more than double what the actor and director said he should pay.
In the latest documents, which were filed on Thursday, Costner’s legal team wrote that Baumgartner ‘has shown a disturbing propensity in the last several months, both before and after separation, to take [Kevin’s] property without his knowledge or consent, especially since this case was filed.’
One of the more puzzling claims in the documents is that Baumgartner allegedly paid a criminal defense attorney $25,000 that came from a property fund that Costner had set up.
He claimed that he was unaware of the payment, and the money should only have been used for real estate transactions regardless.
More puzzling, though, is why Baumgartner would want or need a criminal defense attorney in the first place, and the filing doesn’t appear to clear up that question.
The documents allege another inappropriate payment, this time a sum paid to Baumgartner’s divorce attorney Susan Wiesner, which Costner’s team claims was charged to ‘the credit card of an employee which is traditionally used for Costner family house charges and paid by [Kevin].’
They also accuse the handbag designer of getting cash advances on multiple credit cards paid by her ex but issued to household staff members.
The arrangement with the employee credit cards appears to allow Costner’s employees to buy necessary supplies for the family immediately, without having to come to him or his estranged wife for funds.
Although several of the claims in the filing appear to have allegedly taken place after Baumgartner filed for divorce from the Dances With Wolves star, Costner’s lawyers also appeared to accuse her of having planned out her split in advance with large purchases.
The filing claimed that Baumgartner had purchased a luxury car months before separating or filing for divorce, which might not be out of the ordinary for the wife of an ultra-wealthy star like Costner, but the documents claim that the couple normally leased all of their cars.
However, the former couple’s prenuptial agreement allegedly allows Baumgartner to keep her current car, and the new filing suggests that she may have upgraded it in order to have a better car after the divorce.
The attorney’s allege that the pricy purchase indicates that Baumgartner ‘had been planning her exit long before she told [Kevin] in April 2023.’
Costner’s lawyers state in the filing that he tried to address these alleged purchases by asking Baumgartner to sign a document stating that she would not ‘loot the residence’ before departing, though she refused to sign it.
They further claim that the Waterworld actor is find with her taking all of her property, and he is supposedly open to her taking other things as long as she tells him before hand and they agree on it.
The actor’s latest filing comes after a judge ruled that he is on the hook for six-digit monthly child support payments.
The Yellowstone actor has been ordered to pay his estranged wife a whopping $129,755 per month in child support payments.
