Kevin Costner offered his estranged wife $75,000 in monthly child support. After she rejected it a judge reduced the order to $63,209.
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- Kevin Costner and his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner are in the midst of contentious divorce.
- A recent court filing shows the "Yellowstone" actor offered his ex $75,000 in monthly child support.
- She declined, opting to have the court make a ruling; the judge lowered his payments to $63,209.
A court briefing filed Monday by Kevin Costner's legal team offered a closer glimpse at the bitter financial battle over child support payments between the actor and his estranged wife as they divorce and revealed that Christine Baumgartner gets less than what Costner offered to pay during part of their negotiations.
When Baumgartner filed for divorce in May, citing irreconcilable differences, her lawyers initially sought monthly child support payments of $248,000 before lowering the request to $217,300 per month, Insider previously reported.
Santa Barbara County judge Thomas Anderle initially ordered Costner to pay $129,755 in child support per month until the evidentiary hearing could be held and a final amount determined.
Before the final award amount was determined earlier this month, according to the Monday filing by Costner's lawyers, the "Yellowstone" star countered his soon-to-be ex-wife's "unrealistic and frankly outrageous" settlement requests, offering her more than she would ultimately win in court.
"In fact, on June 30, 2023, Kevin offered to pay Christine $75,000 per month in support in addition to paying 100% of the children's unreimbursed medical, extracurricular, and school expenses," the brief filed by Costner's team reads. "But Christine would have none of it."
Instead, the pair proceeded to an evidentiary hearing on child support that was decided on September 5, resulting in a judge ordering Costner to pay $63,209 per month to Baumgartner. Unless the order is modified in a later motion, the awarded amount will be Costner's regular monthly child support payment.
"Kevin's June 30 offer, had she accepted it, would have provided Christine with an additional $11,791 in child support per month," according to the briefing, which was centered on a separate request by Baumgartner's team that Costner pays nearly $900,000 in fees to her lawyers. The briefing by Costner's lawyers called her massive financial demands "nothing short of outrageous."
Lawyers representing Costner and Baumgartner in their divorce did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.
After being married for 18 years, the pair's divorce has become increasingly contentious as they hash out the financial details of their split and settle their shared estate based on the terms of the prenuptial agreement. Baumgartner initially refused to move out of Costner's palatial compound on the coast of Santa Barbara, California, unless he paid her six-figure child support request.
Baumgartner eventually moved into a smaller house on the compound typically used as staff quarters, Insider previously reported. However, Costner's lawyers say her legal team has continued with "stalling tactics" to delay the divorce proceedings.