Kevin Costner’s estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, has expressed her willingness to move out of the mansion they previously shared, but only as long as she has a guarantee that her soon-to-be ex won’t leave her penniless.
The 49-year-old handbag designer — who reportedly “dazzled” Costner when she handed him the divorce papers — has agreed to move out of the $145 million mansion on the condition that Costner, 68, agrees to pay all the support and fees that a judge orders. an upcoming hearing, according to court documents obtained by Radar Online.
In the documents, Baumgartner agrees to vacate the premises on August 31 of this year, as long as Costner complies with “any and all support and compensation orders the court issues on July 12,” the date of the next hearing in their divorce proceedings.
That arrangement would give her 50 days to find a new place to live and move in, while the prenuptial agreement stated that she would vacate the original home within 30 days of filing for divorce.
She wrote that she was hesitant to leave her home without a plan and financing, if only for the sake of her children, whom she doesn’t want to move multiple times.
Ready to leave: Kevin Costner’s estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, 49, said she will leave his mansion in a new lawsuit, but only after a hearing to determine what support he will pay her, according to documents obtained by RadarOnline; seen together in February 2022
Her welcome to stay longer? Baumgartner was originally required to vacate Costner’s $145 million mansion in Carpentaria (pictured) 30 days after filing for divorce, though that deadline has already passed
Baumgartner claimed that ‘Kevin wants me to rent [a] place without [a] financial plan available. However, [I] have our three children to think about. It’s against their best interests to commit to renting that out [I] may not be able to pay, especially since that would eventually lead to multiple relocations.
“My goal is and will continue to be to maintain as much stability for our children as possible, including having the right resources and plans in place so that [I] can determine [a] stable home for them, rather than making temporary and inconsistent housing arrangements,” she continued.
In addition to being the primary breadwinner, Costner was also the only person to earn money recently, and Baumgartner says in her filing that she has no income.
The Yellowstone star was at stake to help his estranged wife move out per their prenuptial agreement, but it was a relatively paltry sum for their lifestyle.
Costner reportedly paid her $1 million to find a new home, but with California’s high housing prices — especially if she tried to stay close to Costner — she may have struggled to find anything resembling the luxury to which she and her children are accustomed.
According to RadarOnline, Costner deposited $1 million into Baumgartner’s bank account to get her to move out of his mansion, and said he gave her $200,000 earlier in their marriage in accordance with their prenuptial agreement.
However, Baumgartner does not touch the money, saying it would rob her of her ability to challenge the validity of their prenup.
She’s also said the pair haven’t had any issues on Costner’s days at home, saying the mansion’s size and disconnected living spaces mean they can live together without interaction.
Costner’s legal team previously said in court filings that “Kevin acted in good faith and made every effort to make the transition as seamless as possible,” Costner’s legal team said. Insider.
On the calendar: Baumgartner said she will leave on August 31 as long as Costner, 68, complies with “any and all support and compensation orders the court issues on July 12,” the date of their next hearing; still from Yellowstone
Moving Money Costner has already deposited $1 million into Baumgartner’s bank account to find a new home, but she won’t touch it to contest the validity of their prenup; seen in March 2022
He is represented by famed divorce attorney Laura Wasser, who reportedly served as the inspiration for Laura Dern’s character as a lawyer in Noah Baumbach’s critically acclaimed film Marriage Story, which earned Dern an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
It was previously reported that Baumgartner is seeking $248,000 a month in child support. She and Costner share three children: sons Cayden, 15; and Hayes, 14; along with their youngest daughter Grace, 13.
However, Costner has said in other documents that he believes he should only be paying about $38,000 a month.
Earlier this week, The sun reported that Costner was “dazzled” when his wife delivered him the divorce papers, thinking he would be the first to file.
The Waterworld actor “sat down his family, told them that he and their mother were getting divorced and that his lawyer was preparing the papers,” a source claimed to the publication.
“He wanted everything to go peacefully for the sake of his children and told Christine he didn’t want a messy divorce because he had already been through one,” they continued.
But ‘the next morning, boom, Christine sneak attacks him and serves him her own set of divorce papers.
“Kevin was so shocked,” the source added. “Christine has made him look awful ever since, and has continued to do so.”
However, Baumgartner has previously shared a different, less flattering version of how their children learned of their impending divorce.
In a court filing obtained earlier this month by Peopleshe claimed Costner told the three kids about the divorce over a Zoom chat while he was in Las Vegas filming on location.
The handbag designer added that she was not present during the Zoom call, noting that she wondered why the kids had to be told that way, given that Costner was due to return home in a few days.
“I’m still confused by his motivation for doing this through a very short zoom session, especially since he planned to be home five days later,” she wrote.
Significant difference: Baumgartner seeks $248,000 in child support per month, but Costner says he should pay only $38,000 per month
She added that she feared the children would learn of the split from an outside source, and she shared with him research she had done that indicated that a united front with both parents was the best way to communicate the divorce to the children. to announce.
However, Baumgartner claimed that Costner was adamant about sharing the information for her and on his own.
“He ignored my suggestion to do what I felt was right based on research and my relationship with the kids. Instead, he insisted he had a right to tell them we were getting divorced “first” and to tell them privately “without me there,” she claimed.
It’s unclear if the alleged Zoom session could be the same event described by the source, or if there were two dates when Costner spoke to the kids about his divorce from Baumgartner.