‘Christine Didn’t Really Have a Choice but to Settle’: Kevin Costner’s Divorce Finalized after 4.5 Months in Court
- Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner came to an “amicable and mutually agreed upon resolution” in their divorce battle.
- A friend says that Baumgartner “would risk losing everything” had she kept fighting.
- The Costner teens went on two lavishing breakaways during the court battle.
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner attend the 20th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards at the Hollywood Palladium, on January 15, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
The drama that has ensued since Christine Baumgartner filed for divorce from her husband of 18 years, Kevin Costner, on May 2 has come to an anticlimactic close.
Over the weekend, the parents of three signed an agreement that looks to be mainly skewed in the “Yellowstone” actor’s favor, but there have reportedly been concessions for Baumgartner.
Christine Baumgartner and Kevin Costner attend the “Black And White” premiere during the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall, on September 6, 2014, in Toronto, Canada.| Source: Getty Images
The estranged pair said in a joint statement, “Kevin and Christine Costner have come to an amicable and mutually agreed upon resolution of all issues pertaining to their divorce proceedings.”
An insider told the Daily Mail, “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.”
Kevin Costner, Christine Baumgartner and their children, Grace Avery Costner, Hayes Logan Costner and Cayden Wyatt Costner, arrive at the premiere of Disney’s “McFarland, USA” at the El Capitan Theatre, on February 9, 2015, in Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images
The insider shared that Baumgartner is grateful to no longer have to go to court. She considered the settlement “a win because no child wants to go through this.” They explained that the mom had always desired to settle outside court, adding:
“She never wanted any of this circus.”
The terms of the three-page document agreed to this weekend are mostly unknown. TMZ sources claim that for the sake of the settlement, Baumgartner got more than what was prescribed in the prenuptial agreement.
Judge Thomas Anderle ruled that the agreement the former couple signed before they wed would be upheld. He clarified that if the prenup were challenged, Baumgartner would be liable to repay Costner over $ 1 million and pay for his legal team.
Baumgartner had requested $248k a month in child support, while the “Waterworld” actor countered that he was only obliged to pay $63k. He was ordered to pay $129k for a short period before the judge ruled that $63k was sufficient.
The Costners Maintained an Element of Their Luxurious Lifestyle during the Court Battle.
After initially refusing to move out of the marital home with Costner, she reportedly moved into a house on a nearby property that used to be servants’ quarters.
After the highly publicized move, she was spotted with a deceptively casual outfit, accessorized with a Prada handbag that retails for $ 4,800. With the children, she later settled in a $ 40,000-a-month property in Montecito.
Their kids were treated to two vacations during the 4-and-a-half months of ugly court wrangling between their parents. They spent a week in Hawaii with their mother, and their dad took them to the ski haven Aspen.
Kevin Costner poses with Christine Baumgartner during their private wedding at his ranch in September 25, 2004 in Aspen, Colorado. | Source: Getty Images
Outside the court at the beginning of the month, Costner acknowledged that “of course,” he still loved the mother of his younger children. He maintained that “everybody” wanted the proceedings to be finalized.
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner met in 1992 when she was 18, and he was 37. He has three older children with his first wife, Cindy Silva, and another with a former partner.
