Halle Berry will not let these allegations stand.
Last week news broke that her ex, Olivier Martinez, had accused her of shocking physical abuse toward their 12-year-old son, Maceo.
At the time, the Oscar winning actress’ lawyer immediately denied the allegations, saying in a statement:
“To say this filing is entirely meritless and deliberately misleading would be an understatement. There is voluminous evidence, including numerous judicial rulings, that Olivier Martinez repeatedly violated court orders and interfered with necessary therapeutic and educational interventions to the detriment of his and Halle Berry’s minor son Maceo – misconduct for which Mr. Martinez has already been legally sanctioned. In a way, today’s filing is not entirely unexpected from an individual with a well-documented history of erratic, possessive and violent behavior. Fortunately, Halle is used to this kind of outrageous conduct from Mr. Martinez and, while she is deeply saddened, she will not allow it to deter her from fighting for Maceo’s best interests and providing him with the love and support he needs.”
Now, in official court docs filed on Monday, October 5, obtained by People magazine, Halle further denies the accusations, writing:
“I have never physically, emotionally, or otherwise abused Maceo. I am a victim of domestic violence, and I help victims of domestic violence. I am not a perpetrator of violence. I would never hurt our child.”
Per the outlet’s reporting, Halle provides video evidence that she says “directly contradicts” the claims made by her ex. Olivier had previously alleged in his own court docs:
“She grabbed Maceo by the neck and started choking him while shouting, ‘Who is dominant now?! Who is dominant?!'”
Olivier also claimed Halle had an alleged pattern of abuse, and that this was not the first incident.
Halle denies ever abusing her son. She says the incident regarding the VR game wasn’t a scene of physical abuse but rather a moment of “playfully roughhousing” — something she says they “frequently do.”
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She also denies ever placing her hands around her son’s neck. When things did escalate “unexpectedly,” she says, it was because Maceo allegedly pushed her. The commotion prompted her fiancé, Van Hunt, to enter the room. This is when Maceo allegedly pushed his mother again after she tried to take his VR headset. Van got between them to stop anything further from happening, per her account, and this is when Maceo called his father.
As for her text messages to Olivier, which included her regret for the way things played out, she says:
“My text messages to Olivier reflect my distress after Maceo became physically aggressive toward me, not any physical conduct by me toward Maceo.”
As Olivier requests sole custody, Halle is requesting the court order 50/50 custody.
Halle explains their son is neurodivergent, has support needs when it comes to certain behaviors, and needs professional support she can provide. Halle says she has been the one who advocates for more therapeutic routines for their son, and that she and Olivier haven’t always seen eye to eye when it comes to recommended intervention therapies for Maceo.
We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
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