Following Kevin Costner's order to pay his estranged wife a significantly reduced $63,000-a-month in child support, the judge overseeing their case has spoken out on his ruling.
After months of what the judge described as a "contentious" and "acrimonious" legal struggle, Hollywood actor Kevin Costner has emerged with a small victory in his divorce case against Christine Baumgartner, his wife of 18 years.
Now, Santa Barbara County Judge Thomas P. Anderle has released a 17-page summary explaining his decision to drastically reduce Costner's monthly child support payments from $129,000 to $63,209.
During the two-day hearing, Baumgartner argued for an increase in the monthly child support to $161,000, justifying her request by saying it was vital for their children - sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, and daughter Grace, 13 - to maintain a "comparable lifestyle" to what they had during the marriage, ET reports.
had been seeking $129,000 a month in child support. Credit: Jeff Kravitz / Getty
To strengthen her case, Baumgartner hired a forensic accountant who contended that Costner's monthly cash flow of $1.5 million - which includes income from his role in the TV series Yellowstone - could support her claim.
The judge, however, disagreed. Although he found the forensic accountant "competent" and Baumgartner's testimony "credible," he concluded that applying the formula suggested would be "unjust and inappropriate in this case."
Kevin Costner's forensic accountant argued that his salary from Yellowstone — reportedly over $1 million per episode — should not be included in child support calculations. Costner, who will not be returning to Yellowstone due to filming schedule disagreements, argued that this income was an "unusual" spike and not indicative of his general earnings.
According to court documents, Costner's average monthly cash flow for the 30 months ending in June 2023, even with the Yellowstone income, was around $1.3 million. Without it, the average was $468,136.
Judge Anderle sided with Costner's "theory of the case," calling it "exceedingly convincing," while deeming Baumgartner's theory "not persuasive." Ultimately, the court ordered Costner to pay $63,209 per month in child support, which commenced last Friday. Additionally, Costner will be responsible for "all the children's health insurance costs and unreimbursed health care expenses" as well as "all private school tuition, related costs, extracurricular expenses, hunting club dues, and Cayden's car and expenses related to it."
While the major battles seem to have been won and lost, the issue of who will cover Baumgartner's attorney fees and costs is yet to be resolved and is expected to be settled at a later date.
Baumgartner - who now lives in a rental that costs $40,000 per month after being court-ordered to move out of their $145 million family mansion - revealed that she intends to go back to school and get a job to support herself.
"I will look into the steps I need to take and any schooling I need to do, and I will enter the workforce," she revealed, per PEOPLE.
The court estimates the completion of the case for December 2023.