Christine Baumgartner wants more information about Kevin Costner’s finances

One of the first and funniest stories about Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s divorce was the report about Christine charging a forensic accountant to Costner’s credit card just weeks before she filed for divorce. While the divorce battle has not been going in Christine’s favor for weeks now, she was so real for that one thing. It was badass. So, Christine has a good idea of Costner’s financials, but there’s one thing on which she needs some clarity: Costner’s next planned project, Horizon. Costner essentially mortgaged their Carpinteria home to finance Horizon, and Christine and her lawyers want a lot more information about that. Costner doesn’t want Christine or her lawyers to know anything about it.

Kevin Costner’s estranged wife Christine claims the Yellowstone actor is “withholding” evidence of his finances as their divorce battle drags on. In a request for order filed in California Superior Court Aug. 21 and obtained by PEOPLE, an attorney for Christine, 49, has asked the court to compel Kevin, 68, to produce documents related to his business dealings.

The lawyer claims the two-time Oscar winner — who shares children Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13, with Christine — has been “stonewalling” by not sharing the information ahead of their scheduled child support hearing next week and the November trial to determine the validity of their premarital agreement. Christine — who is entitled to a $1.5 million payout under the terms of the agreement, which she previously claimed she felt “pressured” to sign — was also temporarily awarded $129,755 per month in child support last month.

“[Kevin] has requested a multi-day evidentiary hearing on [Christine’s] request for child support, at which time the Court will receive evidence regarding [Kevin’s] gross cash flow available for support and anticipated future income. [Kevin] has also requested a trial to determine the validity of the parties’ Premarital Agreement, the unconscionability of which will depend on an analysis of how the terms of that agreement compare to the parties’ present financial realities,” Christine’s lawyer wrote in the request for order.“The Court will need to receive evidence regarding those circumstances to make its determination. However, [Christine] will be unable to present any evidence that [Kevin] has chosen to withhold from discovery.”

Christine had initially asked for $248,000 per month in child support. Kevin, whose 2022 income was around $20 million according to court documents, strongly objected in a June 30 filing. He said he could not afford that amount because he expects to earn “substantially less” in 2023 now that he is no longer under contract for Yellowstone, which he said was the principal source of his income.

Noting Kevin’s statement in their new filing, Christine’s lawyers have said they are also seeking information related to his upcoming film series Horizon “as such documents evidence his future endeavors and anticipated income.” Kevin, they claim, is “withholding” those documents.

As an exhibit included in the request for order, Christine’s attorneys included Kevin’s response to their Request for the Production of Documents, dated June 30, in which he objected to providing the information.

“This Request seeks documents that are not relevant given the parties entered into a Premarital Agreement containing a limitation on spousal support and providing that all income earned during marriage would be the separate property of the spouse earning the income and providing for no community property,” an attorney for Kevin wrote.

Kevin’s lawyer called several specific requests for information — including those related to his businesses — “burdensome, oppressive and harassing.” In the request for order, Christine’s lawyer called those responses in the June 30 “deficient,” and sought to obtain more information. According to the request for order and attached exhibits, Kevin did provide further financial information over the following weeks but has resisted providing information related to Horizon.

[From People]

It’s interesting, I guess. The lawyers will hopefully figure it out. I mean, I understand Costner’s argument that in the coming years, he won’t have Yellowstone money coming in and that will be a factor in how they calculate child support. But it’s worth noting that Christine filed for divorce right after Costner put up his biggest asset (the Carpinteria mansion) as collateral for Horizon, and Christine is well within her rights to want more information about that. It does affect her and their children, because what if Horizon bombs? What if Costner goes through another Waterworld-esue lull in his career and the bank forecloses on the mansion?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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13 Responses to “Christine Baumgartner wants more information about Kevin Costner’s finances”

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  1. OnThisDay says:

    $250k a month??? For 3 kids? I’m assuming that number approximates the kids’ current monthly costs, but my God, what costs that much every month?

    • Josephine says:

      It’s based on making sure that the kids have an approximately equal standard of living with each parent. And she no doubt asked for more because she knew it would be cut down no matter what she asked for. I’ve got zero problem with a very large child support payment considering how much Costoner is worth and continues to make.

  2. Yibis says:

    I suspect rent as she has no income and wants the kids to stay in their schools and neighbourhood. Kevin has said it’s for her plastic surgery.

  3. Yesgirl says:

    But there is a per-nup she doesn’t have rights to the mansion money or what he does with it. Maybe she can know about it but if he loses the mansion then she gets less money right ? Because his money decreased or career takes another nose dive. The children will always be provided for and 2 of them are almost 18. He has other investments, art collection, aspen property. I think he should give her a one time payout of 10 mill for fairness and child support. I do respect she chose to leave and is searching for her own happiness no matter how appealing this life seems from the outside. I wish her well and that she gets a fair settlement and none of this 1.5 nonsense. Kevin I feel will stay single and never ever remarry. I also wish him well but he needs to stop trying to “win” and put out stories about how it going to go his way and just let the lawyers talk for the kids sake.

  4. Paisley25 says:

    California child support is determined by a formula based on income. It’s so children have an equal standard of living with both parents. And these children are being raised exceedingly rich.

    I take no issue with Christine wanting to see the finances especially as Costner is moving the money all around both to fund Horizon and to avoid paying her as much as possible.

    I know more than one person who had their fathers dramatically change their professions during the divorce just to financially penalize their moms. Such as giving up a six figure union job with benefits to work a never ending series of short term retail jobs. Or stop practicing medicine (seriously) to work in a bar. These were “mid-life crises” that ended once the kids hit 18.

    • ML says:

      Plus he had to be transparent about finances when the prenup was set up in the first place—not being transparent about finances is one of the potential nullifiers. So it’s weird that Kevin is fighting that now.
      https://hekmatfamilylaw.com/prenups/can-a-prenup-be-voided-in-california/?utm_content=cmp-true

    • ama1977 says:

      I’ve got a friend who’s son’s father is an HVAC specialist (we all live in Texas) who has been voluntarily unemployed for over a year (as an HVAC certified specialist!! In Texas!! In a year that’s included the hottest summer on record!!) Over the course of their son’s 16 years, he has often taken cash jobs so that his earnings can’t be tracked. He’s a POS and he owes her over $15,000 of unpaid support (which never goes away, even after the child is an adult.) And the amount he’s ordered to pay is laughable IMO. We have kids the same age and I know how much money it takes to raise them. $500/month is ridiculous and doesn’t even begin to cover half.

      Fortunately, the courts are starting to recognize that kind of dodge and will assess support at the level the unemployed/underemployed parent *could* reasonably earn, so people with a professional degree or some other valuable certification can’t just quit their lucrative job and work for minimum wage to avoid paying what’s (more) fair.

    • Roan Inish says:

      ^^ Not exactly fathers of the Year candidates are they? Wanting to penalize their exes but actually screwing their kids. Wow!

    • Izzy says:

      My stepmother’s ex-husband did this. He inherited a full, busy dental practice from his father and tanked the entire thing because he thought it would get him out of paying alimony and child support. Instead the judge told him to go work for another practice because child support id not excused, and awarded most of his share from the sale of the marital home to her instead. Lol.

      It’s pretty telling that since they turned 18, neither of my younger stepsibs have opted to go to their father or his clinic for dental care. At all.

    • Josephine says:

      He funded Horizon before she filed for divorce so I don’t think the argument that he is somehow moving money holds. He has always thought that the house was legally given the prenup, so the fact that he mortgaged it to fund a project means the risk is his and the payoff once Horizon makes money is to her benefit since she can ask for more in child support once that happens. She’s entitled to know what he earns. I don’t really get the inquiry into the funding of a future project where that funding occurred with his assets and before she filed for divorce. Once he makes money, she’s entitled to know how much. I think he’s made a huge mistake in not being fair with her, but her attorneys are not making great arguments and that us unfortunately reflecting on her. I wish she could switch attys and tactics.

      • December Rose says:

        From other articles I don’t think he mortgaged the actual house that they lived in, but the property adjacent to it where that little house she ‘moved’ into was located.

    • Skyblue says:

      A friend of mine had this happen. Her ex-husband quit a very lucrative job at a mine so he wouldn’t have to pay child support. Eventually the court mandated he pay her $50 dollars per month for their two children. We joked she could take them out for lunch once a month. The kids wound up hating him and had their last names changed to their mother’s maiden name. Ugh. So many terrible fathers out there.

  5. December Rose says:

    How does Horizon and the mortgage on the Carepenteria house impact Christine?The judge has already ruled it is his house since he had it before he ever met her. Not saying it was a smart financial move, but if he is risking his own home/money what’s the difference? The kids are going to live with him part-time but he and they are not going to end up homeless over a $10 million mortgage.