Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s very bitter divorce has met a shocking end as the two sides have settled with the prenup enforced and a massive monetary penalty if it is challenged. The 68-year-old actor and his 49-year-old wife of nearly 20 years have been embroiled in a months-long legal war which has met a surprise end after it was reported that Baumgartner had received more than $400,000 to pay the costs of the contentious courtroom battle.
A joint statement from Costner and Baumgartner provided to DailyMail.com read: ‘Kevin and Christine Costner have come to an amicable and mutually agreed upon resolution of all issues pertaining to their divorce proceedings.’ According to TMZ, if Christine challenges the judgment ‘she would have to repay Kevin more than $1 million and pay his attorney’s fees for the prenup fight.’
Upon hearing this, the mother-of-three ‘agreed over the weekend to the terms of a 3-page settlement letter.’ Kevin’s legal team – which was headed by ‘disso queen’ Laura Wasser – had won a series of legal battles leading up to the settlement. Wasser had recently submitted paperwork to the court saying Kevin’s monthly obligation should be $63K-a-month according to the publication.
However, Baumgartner wanted $248K-a-month and after a two-day evidentiary hearing in Santa Barbara earlier this month the Judge Thomas Anderle ultimately sided with Kevin. Kevin seemingly responded to the settlement being signed over the weekend as he shared a throwback photo of himself looking into the distance from his 1999 classic romantic drama film Message In A Bottle with the caption: ‘Happy Monday, friends. Wishing health and happiness for all of you.’
Last week DailyMail.com reported that Baumgartner had already received more than $400,000 to pay the costs of her legal battle with the actor. The mom-of-three was locked in a court fight with her ex over a fresh award of $855,000 to cover fees for the former couple’s upcoming trial over whether the prenuptial agreement they signed 18 years ago can still be enforced.
Baumgartner, 49, had asked for $575,000 to pay her lawyers John Rydell and Susan Wiesner and another $280,000 for her forensic accountant Jill Bombino – which would take the combined total to an eye-watering total of $1.26million. But documents obtained by DailyMail.com reveal Baumgartner has so far already received $405,000 in legal, attorney, and ‘forensic accounting fees’ – disbursed in July this year.
In an excoriating legal filing lodged in court in Santa Barbara, California, on Tuesday, Wasser hit back at the ‘whopping’ request – describing the fees as ‘inflated’ and saying that it would be ‘unconscionable’ for the Yellowstone star to be made to pay. ‘Disso queen’ Wasser also accused Baumgartner of being ‘unreasonable’ and said her constant legal maneuvers – the majority of which have failed – had inflated costs for both parties.
Last week, Baumgartner found herself on the hook for a payment of $14,000 after Judge Thomas Anderle decided to sanction her for failing to give proper answers to questions from Costner’s legal team. The setback came shortly after Judge Anderle halved Baumgartner’s monthly child support payments – a decision she later described as a ‘joke’ according to a pal.
The friend told DailyMail.com: ‘Christine is shocked. She said even Kevin looked shocked. Everyone looked shocked. ‘To say Christine is disappointed is an understatement. She described the ruling is a complete joke.’ Speaking to DailyMail.com, Brett Ward, a partner at New York legal firm Blank Rome and an expert in family law, said a party requesting fees isn’t unusual, although the potential size of the award was.
He also said judges tend to take a dim view of what they see as excessive requests and generally want to prevent drawn out cases like the Costner divorce was becoming. He said: ‘There is certainly a legal basis for [Baumgartner’s] request. However, a judge will examine the reasonableness of the fees requested. ‘Judges generally do not want to encourage additional litigation by providing one side with a war chest of future legal fees.
‘Courts generally balance the less wealthy party’s right to carry on the litigation in a fair manner against the concern that a party with a significant fee award will take that money and use it to make every possible argument available, no matter the merit or lack thereof for each claim.’
Ward said the enormous legal bills the pair were racking up were unusual in family court but added that much of the money can be explained by the value of the assets being wrangled over and expected the eventual tab to be much higher.
He said: ‘At this pace, and without a settlement in the near future, I would not be surprised if the combined legal fees approach or exceed $5 million.’
Much of Baumgartner’s testimony during the evidentiary hearing had hinged on her being able to provide a lavish lifestyle for her three children comparable to the one they enjoy while with their father.
Despite renting a $40,000-a-month property in tony Montecito, Baumgartner said her new home is inadequate because sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, would have to share a bathroom while daughter Grace, 13, would need ‘to share hers with the house.’
She also bemoaned the pool house guest accommodation – saying visitors would need to come into the main house to shower – and hit out at the lack of beach access to which her children are accustomed.
In his testimony, Costner said the property was comparable to his own luxury home in nearby Carpinteria and said it even has features he would like in his own house.
According to the mom-of-three’s friend, her objections also include her being ‘removed’ from the community she had enjoyed while living with Costner.
The friend added: ‘Christine said they [Costner and his legal team] painted the picture of this shallow, greedy gold-digger and that if Kevin could get past his anger and revenge, he would see how this is hurting their kids.
‘She said Kevin is ripping her apart from her community by making it impossible to live in the tight-knit neighborhood. ‘Christine said this was never about beach views and Kevin knows this. He knows how much the community means to Christine, and that this is his way of punishing her.
‘Christine said the fight is far from over.’
The court also heard details of the family’s lavish spending – which totaled $240,000-a-month in 2022. Expenses included $40,000 spent each month on flowers and gifts alone, although Costner’s forensic accountant Tracy Katz pointed out the figure is for the entire family, including Baumgartner.
Katz said the 49-year-old was responsible for a host of big-ticket items, including $18,000-a-month on medical bills, $18,855 on clothing and $3,377 on beauty treatments.
On top of that, Baumgartner was responsible for the lion’s share of the $8,886 in cash taken out at ATM machines according to Katz.
In May 2023, Baumgartner filed for divorce from the Yellowstone star after 18 years of marriage and three children together due to ‘irreconcilable differences.’
‘It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action,’ Costner’s rep said in a statement, at the time.
‘We ask that his, Christine’s and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time,’ the statement concluded. Costner was previously married to Cindy Silva from 1978 to 1994 and they share three children – Annie, 39, Lily, 36, and Joe, 35.
He also shares a son Liam Costner with Bridget Rooney, who he dated after his split with Silva. In court documents obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com over the summer, Baumgartner described how she was instantly wowed when she first met ‘the handsome, charming movie star’ when she was just 18 and he was 37.
Baumgartner recalled the magic moment they met in 1992 in support of her bid for more child support for the couple’s three teenagers.Baumgartner wrote: ‘I met Kevin on the golf course at the Alisal Ranch (an exclusive “dude” ranch in Solvang, California) when I was eighteen years old,’ she wrote in papers filed in Santa Barbara Superior Court, California.
‘We played our first game of golf six years later and started dating shortly thereafter.
‘Kevin was handsome, charming and a movie star. We traveled the world in private planes, stayed in luxurious hotels and private homes.’
She also said she was the driving force for the Field of Dreams star to realize his own dreams, writing: ‘During our marriage, I encouraged Kevin to wear many hats and live his dreams, even if that meant spending time away from our family.
‘I encouraged him to reconnect with his former bandmates from college and to start a new band. He became a singer/songwriter and toured for weeks at a time in many countries. He became an investor in several companies, some of which were through my connections.’
She added: ‘Despite all of Kevin’s commitments, I made sure to always keep him and the children connected as much as possible. I never questioned the time or commitment it took for him to do what he loved.’