Kevin Costner is said to be out for “revenge” on his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner.
‘The Bodyguard’ actor, 68, has been fighting his 49-year-old ex’s demands for a fortune in child maintenance, and after he was this week ordered to pay more than double his proposed amount, a close friend of the handbag designer has claimed he wants to make her life “hell”.
The source told the Daily Mail: “This isn’t about the house, it’s about making Christine’s life a living hell for actually going through with the divorce.”
Baumgartner has been ordered to vacate their $145-million mansion complex in Santa Barbara, California, by the end of the month after a judge reinforced the premarital agreement they both signed in 2004.
The source added: “Christine said she wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin had her escorted off the property by police.”
Costner and Baumgartner married at his home in Aspen, Colorado, in 2004, and signed a prenup that stated she would leave their marital estate within 30 days in the event of a separation.
Even though Costner said he would give his estranged wife $30 000 (about R544K) a month to rent a new property, in addition to $10 000 for moving costs, Baumgartner’s friend told the Mail the amount wasn’t sufficient.
They added: “Kevin knows that finding a suitable place to rent in the Padaro Lane community is going to cost much more than what he was originally offering Christine.
“He could have made this easy. He could have offered an amount that made it viable to continue living in the community, but he’s opted to punish her.”
The former couple, who both requested joint custody of their three kids, Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13, and have also been arguing over child support payments.
Court documents revealed on Tuesday show ‘Yellowstone’ actor Costner was told by a judge he must pay Baumgartner $129 755 per month to support their three kids.
Papers obtained by Fox News also showed Costner must pay $200 000 in attorney’s fees and $100 000 in forensic accountancy costs.
He and Baumgartner – who filed for divorce in May after 18 years of marriage citing “irreconcilable differences” – will each be required to pay 50 percent of their kids’ healthcare expenses, sports and extracurricular activities, according to the court papers.
Baumgartner had initially requested $248 000 a month in child support – aside from an undisclosed sum of spousal support previously agreed upon in the former couple’s premarital agreement.
Costner had claimed a “reasonable” amount of child support for Baumgartner would be $51 940 a month – which is what he is currently paying.