Halle Berry Olivier Martinez in happier times. (c) Nikki Nelson/WENN
Whew! This custody battle is intense!
As you know, Halle Berry‘s world was shook last month when her ex-husband, Olivier Martinez, formally accused her of physically abusing their 13-year-old son, Maceo, in court docs.
At the time Olivier demanded a temporary restraining order against the Oscar-winning actress, which he temporarily won (it has since been dissolved), as well as primary custody of Maceo.
The allegations were serious. He claimed Maceo told him Halle had put her hands around his neck during an argument over a VR game. He also alleged this was not the first incident of abuse. Halle has denied the allegations, maintaining in a court declaration that she has never physically or emotionally abused Maceo.
Well, as of Tuesday, November 10, their ongoing custody dispute has taken another turn, with Olivier currently asking a judge to INCREASE the child support payments he receives from his famous ex-wife.
According to the newly filed court documents obtained by Page Six, Martinez is seeking a modification of their existing financial arrangement, arguing that the current child support order no longer reflects how much time their 13-year-old son, Maceo, spends with each parent.
When the former couple finalized their divorce in August 2023, Berry agreed to pay Martinez approximately $8K a month in child support, along with an additional 4.3% of any annual income she earns above $2 million. Of course, this agreement was established when the two shared equal physical custody of their son.
Martinez now claims that since Berry’s parenting time has dropped to approximately 18% under their current custody arrangement, the change in their parenting schedule should be taken into consideration when determining how much financial support is appropriate going forward. He argues:
“Because children are entitled to the same standard of living attainable by the parents’ income, the ‘needs’ of a child of extraordinarily wealthy parents will exceed the bare necessities of life. … It is an abuse of discretion to deprive a child of their right to share in one parent’s unusual wealth.”
Maceo’s dad also offered a look into his own finances, claiming he receives an average of just $776 per month in acting residuals while reporting monthly expenses and proposed spending needs totaling more than $17,500.
The latest request comes just days after Martinez asked the court to order Berry to cover approximately $240,000 in his legal expenses stemming from their ongoing custody proceedings.
As we mentioned earlier, Olivier currently maintains primary physical custody since the abuse allegations, while Halle now has limited visitation without overnight stays. This will continue until at least December 17, as TMZ reports that will be when the next hearing on their custody arrangement takes place. We’ll have to wait and see if anything changes. For now, though, Olivier’s request for increased child support remains pending, with no reported ruling on the matter.
Thoughts on all this? Is he simply asking for what’s fair? Or does it seem a little excessive?
[Image via Nikki Nelson/WENN]