Christine Baumgartner, the ex-wife of Kevin Costner, has rejected the Yellowstone star's proposal of $52,000-a-month in child support as 'inappropriate'.
The couple is currently in the middle of divorce proceedings and Baumgartner has been left unimpressed by her ex-husband's offering towards the costs of bringing up their three children, 16-year-old Cayden, 14-year-old Hayes and 13-year-old Grace.
Handbag designer Baumgartner, 49, is reportedly seeking $248,000-a-month in child support, with previous reports claiming that Costner had initially offered $38,000 but has since increased his proposal. Despite the extra funds the two-time Oscar winning actor has put forward, Baumgartner has claimed that Costner "spends $240,000 a month on himself and the kids when they’re with him."
Costner, 68, has alleged that Baumgartner'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.
Baumgartner also claims that the sum is well below what her teenage children are used to as they are "used to living at the beach and in a gated neighborhood".
In response, Costner's attorney has stated that his client has been paying for all his children's expenses since the separation and will continue to do so.
It has been alleged by Baumgartner that the couple's children have a lifestyle that is maintained by a team of staff, including cleaners and people who do their grocery shopping for them.
The nearly quarter-of-a-million dollar sum she is seeking is believed to also be for expenses such as utilities and bills. Baumgartner had previously said she would move out of the marital home on August 31 as long as Costner provided further financial assistance.
However, Costner has claimed that as per their pre-nuptial agreement, Baumgartner was obligated to leave the home 30 days after filing for divorce in May.
Last week, a judge ordered Baumgartner to vacate the home by July 31. Costner was said to be "relieved" by the ruling, according to People. Baumgartner's attorneys have retorted that she does not have the time or funds to find a suitable new residence in such a short space of time.
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.”
Due to no longer feeling “comfortable sharing a residence with Christine”, Costner has opted to relocate to his 160-acre ranch in Aspen, Colorado. The Dances With Wolves actor has claimed to have already paid the $1.4m settlement the conditions of the couple's pre-nup states he should pay Baumgartner in the event of divorce. The divorce filing cited irreconcilable differences and listed their date of separation as April 11.
It was recently revealed that Costner would be leaving Neo-Western drama Yellowstone, with the show's fifth and final season set to come to a close later this year. The 68-year-old won a Golden Globe Award this year for Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series - Drama for his portrayal of Dutton family patriarch John Dutton.