- Kevin Costner accused his estranged wife of funding her legal services in their divorce on his dime.
- The “Yellowstone” star said he lowered credit-card limits after she used them without telling him.
- Costner said her $30,000 a month credit card limit was enough to take care of their kids’ needs.
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Kevin Costner has refuted his former partner’s allegation that he canceled her credit cards after she filed to divorce him.
The “Yellowstone” star said in a legal declaration last week that he was forced to curb the spending of his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, after she racked up six figures worth of legal and accounting fees without his knowledge on credit cards he pays for.
“Christine says I have not maintained the status quo because I cancelled one of her credit cards and because I put (a large) limit on the use of the credit card she uses,” Costner said in a June 30 declaration, which was obtained by Insider. “I agreed to maintain the status quo with respect to our children. I have done so. I have continued to pay for all of the children’s expenses since Christine filed for divorce. Christine does not claim that the children’s expenses have not been paid.”
Last month, the actor said he offered to contribute $65,000 toward Baumgartner’s legal fees — but he said her lawyers never responded.
Baumgartner filed for divorce from Costner on May 1.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Costner said he was forced to limit her access to his credit cards after Baumgartner used them to pay $45,000 for a Los Angeles-based lawyer and $40,000 for her Santa Barbara-based legal team. She also charged $10,000 for the services of a forensic accountant and another $10,000 for a separate forensic accountant whose services she no longer planned to utilize, Costner alleged in his declaration.
“It was then that I made the decision that there needed to be some reasonable limitation on the use of the credit cards,” Costner said in court papers. “My lawyer gave her lawyers written notice.”
Lawyers for the former couple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Baumgartner, a 49-year-old handbag designer who said in court papers she was unemployed, filed for divorce from Costner in May because of “irreconcilable differences.”
The pair, who were married for nearly two decades and have three teenage children, are set to appear in a California court later this week, where a judge is set to rule on Costner’s motion to enforce a provision of their prenuptial agreement forcing her to move out within 30 days after they divorced.
Baumgartner said in court documents that she would move out by the end of August — but only if the “Field of Dreams” star paid her $248,000 a month to maintain their children’s lifestyle. Costner said Baumgartner’s demand was absurd and accused her of inflating the figure to maintain her luxury lifestyle.
You can view the original article HERE.
