Kevin Costner's high-profile divorce from his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner has taken yet another tumultuous turn.
Laura Wasser, the Hollywood attorney representing the 68-year-old Oscar-winning actor, is lashing out at Baumgartner's request for Costner to cover her staggering $885,000 in legal fees, the Daily Mail reports.
This comes after Baumgartner was already sanctioned with a $14,000 fee by the judge.
The key issue that this nearly million-dollar fee revolves around is whether Baumgartner’s "waiver of spousal support is enforceable," according to TMZ. Laura Wasser, however, didn't mince words, declaring that the request is "nothing short of outrageous."
Wasser argued that, even by the most exorbitant legal hourly rates, Baumgartner's lawyers would need to accumulate an astonishing 1,106 billable hours to justify this colossal amount. Adding fuel to the fire, she stated that a judge has already deemed the couple's prenuptial agreement as enforceable.
This prenup debacle isn't new. Earlier in July, a judge enforced a provision of the prenuptial agreement that mandated Baumgartner to vacate the family home within a specific timeframe in the case of a divorce.
Baumgartner protested, saying she "will move in due course, but this is a major undertaking and can only be accomplished with careful planning." Unfortunately for her, the judge did not concur and insisted she leave by July 31. This earlier ruling strongly indicates that the prenup may be fully enforceable, spelling potential defeat for Baumgartner.
It's not as if Costner has left his ex-wife high and dry. According to Wasser, Costner has already contributed $300,000 toward Baumgartner’s legal expenses. Even more astonishing, Baumgartner allegedly withdrew over $105,000 from Costner’s accounts specifically for her legal proceedings.
Child support for the couple's three children—Cayden Wyatt, 15; Hayes Logan, 14; and Grace Avery, 13—also emerged as a bone of contention. While Baumgartner initially demanded a whopping $248,000 per month, Costner countered with a more reasonable $63,000.
Costner even raised his offer to $75,000 a month, only for Baumgartner to reject it. Ultimately, a judge settled the issue by ruling in favor of Costner’s original $63,000 monthly child support proposal.
Despite the ongoing legal maelstrom, Kevin Costner seems unfazed. He was recently spotted at a luxury suite during Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour, enjoying one of her iconic breakup songs, 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,' with his 13-year-old daughter Grace.
This contentious legal battle raises critical questions about high-stakes divorces, particularly involving prenuptial agreements and spousal support waivers. As the saga continues to unfold, one thing is clear: Wasser and her client Costner are not backing down, especially when what they consider "outrageous" sums are at stake.
