
Last week, we reported that the “Yellowstone” star Kevin Costner had come out victorious in his bitter divorce battle with his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner after the former couple came to a settlement agreement that upheld the terms of their prenuptial agreement. Now, however, an expert is speaking out to warn that this might not actually be the end of their divorce war.
Kevin Wins!
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner SHOCK divorce settlement: Bitter legal war meets surprising end with prenup enforced – and estranged wife, 49, would have to repay Yellowstone actor, 68, $1MILLION and his lawyer fees if challenged pic.twitter.com/Ybn0PZdIC8
— ᴼᴹᴳ ᶥᵗˢ Adàeze (@nubianbarbieeee) September 19, 2023
Divorce Settlement Reached
Costner and Baumgartner spent four months fighting it out in court before coming to the settlement agreement.
“Kevin and Christine Costner have come to an amicable and mutually agreed upon resolution of all issues pertaining to their divorce proceedings,” the former couple told Daily Mail in a joint statement.
TMZ reported that Baumgartner learned the weekend prior that “she would have to repay Kevin more than $1 million and pay his attorney’s fees for the prenup fight.” As soon as she heard this, she reportedly “agreed over the weekend to the terms of a 3-page settlement letter.”
Secrets of Kevin Costner & Christine Baumgartner's Divorce Settlement #shorts #kevincostner pic.twitter.com/pjULILDcBq
— Andray (@andrayofficial) September 21, 2023
Celebrity Divorce Lawyer Speaks Out
The celebrity divorce lawyer Christopher C. Melcher, partner at Walzer Melcher & Yoda, is now speaking out to warn that this agreement could easily fall apart, however.
“Unfortunately, we do see a lot of deals fall apart in divorce because people feel pressured to enter into them, and they often get buyer’s remorse,” Melcher told Fox News. “So I would not be surprised if we see Christine maybe coming back and saying, ‘I really don’t like that deal, and I’d like to improve it.'”
“I hope for the sake of the family that he or she doesn’t do that, but it could happen,” he added.
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner are 'on speaking terms' after divorce#KevinCostner #ChristineBaumgartner #divorce #celebritynews #Yellowstone #tvnews #movienews pic.twitter.com/SrVb5oePps
— BANG Showbiz (@BANGShowbiz) September 26, 2023
Related: Kevin Costner Comes Out Victorious Over Ex In Bitter Divorce Battle As His Prenup Is Enforced
Child Support Battle
Costner and Baumgartner are parents to three children who range in age from 13-16. Earlier this month, Judge Thomas Anderle ruled in Costner’s favor when he slashed the monthly child support payments that he was paying his ex down from $129,755 to $63,209. This was a brutal defeat for Baumgartner, who had been asking for the payments to be increased to $161,592 per month, but the judge went so far as to accuse her of trying to obtain “disguised spousal support.”
“Christine kept asking for more and more money, and her demands for child support were just eye watering and unreasonable, and that really hurt her credibility in court,” Melcher said. “As she lost issue after issue, the writing was on the wall, and it became clear that the court was going to enforce the pre-marital agreement. That’s why she had to make a deal.”
Melcher went on to say that settling a divorce is “always a good idea, and especially for celebrities because it’s just toxic to their brand. What’s unfortunate is they had to go through months of really embarrassing and acrimonious litigation to get here, and they could have settled at the beginning. Glad they’ve done it now though.”
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner settled their divorce . Celebrity Divorce attorney, Christopher Melcher, came on TMZ LIVE to talk about how the two went from a bitter legal battle to a surprising ending! pic.twitter.com/VboUasZZRW
— TMZ Live (@TMZLive) September 21, 2023
Related: New Details Emerge About Kevin Costner’s Divorce Victory
Costner ‘Had All The Power’
A source close to Baumgartner said last week that she had no other choice but to settle with Costner.
“Christine didn’t really have a choice but to settle because Kevin had all the power. Had she continued fighting, she would risk losing everything,” the source told Daily Mail. “Christine said it is what it is. That she won’t miss going to court and having sleepless nights.”
“She said for the kids it’s a win because no child wants to go thru this, let alone in public,” the insider continued. “She was the one who wanted to settle things outside of court in the first place. She never wanted any of this circus. It’s been a living nightmare and now she just wants to move on and start fresh and begin making her new house a home.”
UPDATE: Kevin Costner’s ex Christine Baumgartner calls $129,000 monthly child support “insufficient”
She says Kevin needs to pay more child support "so that the children can go on comparable vacations when they are with her. This is true even if the child support payments also… pic.twitter.com/RghHI6ExTr
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) August 31, 2023
This has clearly been a very messy divorce for everyone involved. For the sake of Costner and Baumgartner’s three children, we can only hope that this truly is the end of their divorce battle.
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