Kevin Costner ‘ordered to pay estranged wife $129k in monthly child support’, double his offer

The actor and Christine Baumgartner are locked in a divorce battle

Kevin Costner has reportedly been ordered to pay his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner $129k (£99.7k) in monthly child support, double what he originally offered to give her.

In a tentative ruling set by Judge Thomas Anderle on Tuesday (11 July), the Yellowstone star will also be required to pay $200k (£155k) in attorney’s fees and $100k (£77k) in forensic costs.

The amount, seen in legal documents obtained by Fox News Digital, is more than half of the figure Baumgartner requested from Costner, whom she filed for divorce from in early May.

The handbag designer, 49, previously said she would move out of the former couple’s shared home in Carpenteria, California, by the end of August if he agreed to pay $248k (£191k) per month in child support for their three teenage children.

The couple’s pre-nuptial agreement allegedly requires Baumgartner to move out of the property within 30 days of filing for divorce. The 68-year-old actor has alleged that his ex-wife breached the agreement by “refusing” to move out and a judge has ordered her to vacate the home by 31 July.

Last week, Costner increased his original child support offer from $38k (£29k) to $52k (£40k) per month, a figure Baumgartner reportedly rejected because it was “inappropriate”.

She claimed that the new offer was “well below” the $65k (£50k) per month that Costner allegedly received for renting out a guest house on his property, adding that he “spends $240k (£185k) a month on himself and the kids when they’re with him”.

Baumgartner reportedly asked a judge to force Costner to pay $248k (£192k) per month, as well as 100 per cent of the children’s private tuition, health care expenses, and extracurricular activities. She argued that this amount was less than what was needed “to maintain the children in their accustomed lifestyle”.

Costner rejected the figure Baumgartner requested, calling it “inflated”, but she insisted the money would help her set up a “suitable separate household” for their children.

According to Fox News, new legal documents show that she also requested Costner make the payments by automatic transfer, but this has been denied.

Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner attends the Premiere Of 20th Century Fox's "The Art Of Racing In The Rain" at El Capitan Theatre on August 01, 2019 (Getty Images)

The former couple, who are seeking joint custody of their teenage children, will reportedly both be required to pay 50 per cent of their children’s healthcare costs and other activities.

Last week, People reported that Baumgartner’s lawyers were seeking an extension of the court-ordered moving out date of 31 July and asked for an extension to 15 August on the grounds that she does not have enough time or funds to find a new home.

They wrote in a filing: “Christine understands that at some point in the future, she and the children will have to move out of the family home. She cannot do so at this early stage of the case because she does not have sufficient funding to secure housing that will ensure the children can maintain similar standards of living in the parties’ respective homes.”

She also argued that the Bodyguard star’s claim that he is doing his best to “make a divorce as seamless as possible for our children” was disingenuous because he “sought to evict his wife and children from their home”.

Costner reportedly denied her allegation that he is “evicting” his children and said the children will be in the home “during the time they are in my custody”. The actor’s legal team has also insisted that Baumgartner “can afford to move” as Costner has already paid her $1.5m “to find alternative housing”.

Baumgartner is entitled to a settlement of US$1.4m (£1.16m) under the conditions of their prenuptial agreement, which Costner claims to have already paid. His net worth is estimated to be upwards of $250m (£193m).

The pair, who married in 2004, share three children, Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13. Baumgartner cited irreconcilable differences in her divorce filing and listed their date of separation as 11 April.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Costner and Baumgartner for comment.