Kevin Costner has been ordered to pay his ex-wife $129,000 in child support - which is around half of what she had initially asked for.
Costner, 68, and his former wife Christine Baumgartner, 49, are currently in the midst of settling their divorce, and the topic of child support has left the pair at odds.
As previously reported, Baumgartner was seeking $248,000 a month for the three children the pair share together - 16-year-old Cayden, 14-year-old Hayes, and 13-year-old Grace.
Costner disputed this amount and offered $38,000 which was then upped to $52,000, though Baumgartner claimed Costner "spends $240,000 a month on himself and the kids when they’re with him".
The Oscar-winning actor alleged that his former wife's refusal to vacate their beachfront property in California is a breach of their pre-nuptial agreement. TMZ has however obtained court documents in which Baumgartner says the new offer is still "well below" the $65,000-a-month Costner receives for renting out a guest house on the property.
As reported by TMZ, a judge has now ruled that Costner is to pay Baumgartner $129,755 a month in child support, though this decision is pending another hearing.
The pair will share an equal split of the healthcare costs that their kids incur, plus any other out-of-school activities as well as their private tuition fees.
Costner will also have to part ways with $300,000 as he has been ordered to pay his ex-wife $200,000 for attorney's fees and $100,000 for forensic costs.
All of these figures are temporary, as both parties will have a chance to present further evidence so the final figures may go up or down.
The sum that Baumgartner was initially seeking was reportedly because the kids had become accustomed to a lifestyle that is maintained by a team of staff, including cleaners and people who do their grocery shopping for them.
The 49-year-old was ordered to leave the marital home, as Costner claimed that as per their pre-nuptial agreement, she was obligated to do so within 30 days of the divorce being filed.
Writing in a filing, Baumgartner's attorneys stated, "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."
Costner's legal team responded with a statement of their own, insisting that their client's estranged wife “can afford to move”.
“She has at her disposal almost $1.5m in cash to find alternative housing. Multiple four-bedroom, four-bathroom lovely homes are presently available, located in close proximity to Kevin’s separate property residence… Kevin made multiple offers to assist her in relocating.”
Costner has opted to relocate to his 160-acre ranch in Aspen, Colorado after not feeling "comfortable sharing a residence with [Baumgartner]."
