The divorce drama never ends.
In the latest turn in Kevin Costner‘s nasty divorce from wife Christine Baumgartner, the Yellowstone star is being accused of “withholding” important evidence about his finances!
The 49-year-old estranged wife filed a request for order in the California Superior Court on Monday which was just obtained by People. In it, her attorney asked the court to force Kevin to produce documents related to his business dealings, claiming the actor has been “stonewalling” them by not sharing the info ahead of a child support hearing next week and prenup hearing in November (Christine claims she didn’t understand the prenuptial agreement and was “pressured” into signing it).
Related: Kevin Costner Accuses Wife Of Literally ROBBING Him!
Christine has already been awarded temporary child support worth $129,755 per month (a lot less than the $248,000 monthly sum she was asking for but still a WILD amount). Before going into the upcoming hearing, her team would like to have a full understanding of the 68-year-old’s bank account, they explained in the request:
“[Kevin] has requested a multi-day evidentiary hearing on [Christine’s] request for child support, at which time the Court will receive evidence regarding [Kevin’s] gross cash flow available for support and anticipated future income. [Kevin] has also requested a trial to determine the validity of the parties’ Premarital Agreement, the unconscionability of which will depend on an analysis of how the terms of that agreement compare to the parties’ present financial realities.”
It continued:
“The Court will need to receive evidence regarding those circumstances to make its determination. However, [Christine] will be unable to present any evidence that [Kevin] has chosen to withhold from discovery.”
The docs also referenced Costner’s June 30 filing, in which he claimed he couldn’t afford to pay over $200k a month after ending his gig on Yellowstone. Noting he has an upcoming film series called Horizon coming out soon, his ex’s attorneys want info related to the movies “as such documents evidence his future endeavors and anticipated income.” Right now, they insist he is “withholding” that paperwork.
The filing even included Kevin’s response to their initial Request for the Production of Documentation dated June 30, in which his camp declared:
“This Request seeks documents that are not relevant given the parties entered into a Premarital Agreement containing a limitation on spousal support and providing that all income earned during marriage would be the separate property of the spouse earning the income and providing for no community property.”
They also dubbed several requests for info (including those related to his businesses) as “burdensome, oppressive and harassing.” Yeesh!
Sounds like until they get that prenup argument settled, there’s going to be a lot of disagreements like this about what’s “relevant.”
Just to give you an idea of why these financial documents may be so important to the former model, it’s because of how much money her husband made during their marriage! On Thursday, TMZ uncovered documents in which Kevin disclosed he had $102,716,000 in assets back in 2004 when they were figuring out their prenup. Now, though? Christine claimed in legal docs that she’s not sure he disclosed everything at the time. She also believes he is worth nearly $400k these days — with about $24 million in cash! That’s a huge difference!
He’s obviously been involved in some massive projects since they tied the knot which could contribute to his skyrocketed wealth… but could it also be because he didn’t reveal everything back in the day? Seems like we need more documents to get to the bottom of this!
While Kevin did provide some financial information, he has yet to give anything related to Horizon because his attorney argued in mid-August that “these documents have no bearing on the handbag designer’s request for child support and her ability to calculate Kevin’s gross cash flow available for child support.” Still, it doesn’t sound like she’s going to give up easily!
Kevin, on the other hand, is backing away! Us Weekly sources now claim the Field of Dreams star is ready to stop fighting, explaining:
“Kevin and his lawyers have made a concerted effort to lower the temperature and stop the tide of bad publicity. He doesn’t want this to be a drawn-out [divorce.]”
They added:
“Kevin feels betrayed by Christine, but he wants to take the high ground. […] Kevin doesn’t want to waste more time fighting with Christine.”
A second source elaborated on what sent the two to divorce court, blaming much of the trouble on the travel required for Yellowstone:
“Their marriage seemed solid and like they were in it for the long term, but the time apart clearly took a toll. Christine just couldn’t cope.”
These days, the actor is “letting his lawyers figure it all out” while he keeps his distance from Christine, whom he is “only speaking [with] through intermediaries,” adding:
“Kevin would rather use the silent treatment than deal with Christine directly anymore.”
Despite the headline-making drama, the Draft Day alum “sees himself as having all the class and integrity in this situation” and insists “Christine will get a fair deal,” per the source. That said, he’s holding firm and has a “what’s mine is mine” attitude regarding the division of assets — which they’ve already been fighting over! So that’ll make it messy! A third source chimed in:
“Kevin doesn’t hate Christine, but he does want a clean break. Of course, there are resentments and animosity, but that comes with the territory, and he’s trying not to make it personal.”
Interestingly, the first source suggested his ex has ammo “she can throw at Kevin” in hopes of getting her way, but he reportedly feels like things will work out for him either way. A source said he “is a chess player and he will outplay Christine.”
In the meantime, he’s relying on his kids to help him get through this. First, there’s his eldest Annie, 39, Lily, 37, “who keeps him calm and sane,” then there’s boys Joe, 35, from his first marriage to Cindy Silva, and Liam, 27, with ex Bridget Rooney. He also shares Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13, with Christine. They are handling the bitter breakup “surprisingly well,” per the source, and even though “they’re sad” they are “being very levelheaded and mature about it all.”
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A second source said the father is pouring his attention into new work projects now that he’s done with the Paramount Network, which he left because he “hated not having enough input” and “wants to challenge himself.” Horizon: An American Saga is a four-part franchise he mortgaged a piece of his land for — which means he really thinks it’s going to be huge!! No wonder his ex wants those financial docs! The first source said:
“Directing Horizon has been an A-plus experience. During his years on Yellowstone, he had none of his loyalists around him, which was the big reason why he left that show.”
They continued:
“Kevin won’t settle for anything less than perfection when it comes to Horizon. He wants it to be his biggest success since the days of Dances With Wolves. He’s thrown everything he has into making it.”
It better work if he’s betting it all on this! With the excitement of the film series, he’s hoping to enter into a better chapter of his life, the second source shared:
“Kevin’s been to hell and back, but the feeling you get from people in his circle is that he’s finally coming out the other side. He’s throwing himself into his work and surrounding himself with people he can trust. Divorce sucks, but he’s toughing it out.”
The insider concluded:
“Kevin has a lot of confidence in his attorneys, and he’s staying busy with his career and continues to have a very special relationship with his kids. He firmly believes that brighter times are ahead.”
Things might get better, but until the divorce is finalized, it sure seems like he has an uphill battle to climb! Thoughts?? Do you think Kevin should hand over his business documents?? Sound OFF (below)!
[Image via Oscar Gonzalez/Brian To/WENN]
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