Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s acrimonious divorce battle has taken yet another turn – as a legal wrangle erupted over whether the jewelry designer ‘understood’ their pre-nup.
Costner, 68 and Baumgartner, 49, initially tied the knot in 2004, with Christine filing for divorce on May 1 after 18 years of marriage – with the pair locked in a battle over their assets and child support.
Now, the legal battle has taken a bizarre turn as the actor’s latest filing claims Christine and her legal team asked for a definition of the word ‘understand’ in reference to whether she understood the terms of their 2004 pre-nup, reports TMZ.
The filing reads:’ Christine asserts she cannot admit or deny that she understood the Premarital Agreement because she (and apparently all of her attorneys) do not understand the word “understand.”‘
Costner’s attorney Laura Wasser wrote in her latest filing: ‘Christine’s counsel asked for a definition of ‘understood’ and Kevin’s counsel provided the dictionary meaning of the word ‘understood,’ to wit, ‘comprehended or perceive the intended meaning of words.’
Battle: Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s acrimonious divorce battle has taken yet another turn – as a legal wrangle erupted over whether the jewelry designer ‘understood’ their pre-nup (pictured March 2022)
Wasser is now asking the judge to make Christine’s lawyers answer the question of whether she understood the prenup or not.
The question that sparked the latest legal battle began with Wasser asking: ‘You understood the legal effect of the premarital agreement before you signed the premarital agreement.
Christine’s lawyer responded: Objection. This request is vague as to the scope and meaning of the terms ‘understood’ … [Christine] is unable to admit or deny the request.
A hearing to address the document’s validity won’t happen until November, and Baumgartner is expected to continue challenging it.
A preliminary move to get Costner’s ex out of their $145million house indicates that the judge may agree that the rest of the document is also valid.
TMZ reports that Baumgartner will also be forced to return $1.5 million paid to her by Costner if the judge determines that the prenup is valid, and she will also reportedly be forced to pay his attorneys’ fees for defending the document.
Baumgartner recently moved into her new $35,000 a month rental in Santa Barbara, California after splitting from the Yellowstone star.
Meanwhile, her ex Kevin was seen this week taking in a Taylor Swift concert at the Sofi stadium in Los Angeles.
Bizarre: Now, the legal battle has taken a bizarre turn as the actor’s latest filing claims Christine and her legal team asked for a definition of the word ‘understand’ in reference to whether she understood the terms of their 2004 pre-nup (pictured February 2022)
Her new home looks comfortable. DailyMail.com obtained images of the dwelling earlier this week.
The home has four bedrooms and four bathrooms and includes amenities such as a swimming pool, fire pit and BBQ area.
The luxury home is surrounded by green shrubbery in the upscale California community.
Following her July 28 move from the main home, an insider revealed to People that the mother-of-three had been staying ‘at a smaller house’ on the property that had been used for staffers.
The insider said that Baumgartner had been ‘staying in the area to not disrupt’ her her and Costner’s three children – Cayden 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13 – who ‘will be back at school in the fall with their friends’ in the coming months.
Baumgartner, a handbag designer, has been ‘trying to keep everything as normal as possible’ amid the tumultuous time for the family, the source told the outlet.
Baumgartner, who filed for divorce from the Yellowstone star in May, has complained of struggling to find an appropriate rental abode in the area.
Since proceedings began, the divorce has been far from amicable, from Costner claiming that his ex refused to leave the mansion despite giving her $1.45 million for a new residence; to Christine alleging the actor was trying to make her and their children ‘homeless.’
Parents of four: The former couple share three children: sons Cayden, 16; and Hayes, 14; along with their younger daughter Grace, 13
Baumgartner had insisted in court docs that she had no plans to ‘strip’ their mansion in Santa Barbara of items before leaving the grounds.
Costner – who was spotted with the pair’s three kids July 28 in Aspen, Colorado – and Baumgartner have been locked in a very contentious split over the past few months.
The drama goes back weeks when Costner asked her to exit the home, then the focus had been on what she planned to take with her when she left.
Last month, sources told DailyMail.com that Baumgartner fears the performer is ‘out for revenge’ against her after she filed for divorce, and will have police escort her out of their Santa Barbara home.
‘He wants to humiliate her,’ a close friend of Christine said. ‘This isn’t about the house, it’s about making Christine’s life a living hell for actually going through with the divorce.
‘Christine said she wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin had her escorted off the property by police,’ the friend says. ‘It was Christine who wanted to make this transition as peaceful as possible for the sake of the children.
‘Kevin has done the complete opposite. He’s not thinking about the kids, about how traumatizing this is.’
Baumgartner shared in new legal documents that she will be showing photos in a PDF to Kevin’s attorneys of what she plans to remove from the mansion, according to a report from ET.
And that means there should be no ’emergency hearing’ over what belongings will be taken out. Christine said a hearing was ‘uncalled for.’
Also in the filing, it was revealed that Baumgartner rented an ‘off-site’ storage unit to house some silverware, some pots and pans, a Peloton bike, family heirlooms, clothing and personal items from friends. There was also a ‘mother/daughter horse picture’ she wanted to keep.
And it was added that Costner would ‘not be harmed’ by Baumgartner during the removal of her items.
Last month, a judge ruled she must confer with Kevin before taking any property from the estate. She has been barred from taking art, furniture, furnishings or appliances with her, without his explicit consent.
It was also stated that she will be barred from removing any property, apart from her clothing, toiletries, handbags and jewelry from the mansion.
The Let Him Go actor was on the hook to help his estranged wife relocate per their prenuptial agreement, but it was a relatively paltry sum for their lifestyle.
Baumgartner recently moved into her new $35,000 a month rental in Santa Barbara, California after splitting from the Yellowstone star (pictured 2015)
Costner would have paid her a reported $1.5million to find a new home, but with California’s elevated home prices — particularly if she tried to stay near Costner — she may have had difficulty finding something similar to the luxury she and her children are accustomed to.
Costner has deposited $1.5 million in Baumgartner’s bank account to get her to move out of his mansion, and he said he had given her $200,000 earlier in their marriage in line with their prenuptial agreement.
However, Baumgartner hasn’t touched the money, as she says doing so would rob her of her ability to contest the prenup’s validity.
She noted that their date of separation was on April 11, and cited the reason for the split was due to ‘irreconcilable differences.’
The divorce filing had left Kevin ‘blindsided’ and the star actually had plans to file for divorce first, sources told The Sun last month in June. He had assumed that the two were going to split amicably and follow steps in their prenuptial agreement.
The couple’s prenuptial agreement from 2004 requires her to leave the property if they should separate, while giving her access to a $1.2 million fund to find a new house.
Baumgartner filed for divorce from The Bodyguard actor on May 1.
Their relationship began in 1998 and they had exchanged vows at his ranch in 2004 in Colorado.
Following the announcement of the split, Costner’s rep Arnold Robinson said in a statement: ‘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.’
The veteran actor is also father to daughters Annie, 39, and Lily, 36, and son Joe, 35, with his ex-wife Cindy Silva; and son Liam, 27, with ex-girlfriend Bridget Rooney.
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