A verdict has been reached in Kevin Costner’s bitter child support battle with ex Christine Baumgartner.
The famed Hollywood actor scored a major win against his estranged wife after a Santa Barbara judge ruled that Baumgartner’s demand for Costner to pay her $161,000 a month in child support was excessive and far above what the children could “reasonably need.”
Until now – while the child support battle was ongoing – the amount was set at $129,000 a month, whereas Judge Thomas Anderle now slashed it to $63,000 per month.
The ruling comes after two days of hearings that saw both parties defend their views as to what the right amount should be.
Following the judge’s decision, Costner spoke out and said there were “no winners” in his bitter child support feud.
“You know, when you have a life that long with somebody, there is no winner… and it’s this big, crazy thing called life and how it unravels so quickly,” he said.
“One minute you feel like you’re on top of the world, and then you realize how, you know, how vulnerable you are.”
Despite the rift between him and his estranged wife, Costner went on to praise Baumgartner saying she was an “incredible” mother.
“She’s an incredible mom. We will figure it out and we’ll share. We just got to kind of convalesce right now,” he added as he opened up about the custody arrangement for their three kids.
Concluding his speech, the actor said: “I want to help but the thought of having things inflated to the point I can’t do what I want to do. Somehow in this unusual world, we didn’t make it and for that, I’m sorry.”
The news comes after Baumgartner demanded $161,000 a month in child support while arguing that her $40,000 a month property can’t compare to her estranged husband’s $73 million beachside home. She also insisted she wanted to rent a $150,000-a-month property after her current lease was up.
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