In an early judicial success for the “Yellowstone” actor amid a contentious divorce fight, Kevin Costner’s estranged wife has been told to vacate their joint house by the end of July.
Judge Thomas Anderle ordered Christine Baumgartner to leave their joint complex by the end of July at a hearing in Santa Barbara, California, on Wednesday. He denied her plea to postpone the departure until August 15.
Due to the oversaturation of Santa Barbara’s rental market and the “extreme disparity” between Costner’s offer and Baumgartner’s request for child support, Baumgartner’s lawyers claimed their client required further time.
Baumgartner arrived at the hearing in person, while Cotner appeared digitally. Baumgartner’s hair was half back, and she wore a modest long-sleeve patterned pink shirt, black pants, and open-toe kitten heels.
Baumgartner filed for divorce in May after nearly 20 years of marriage on the grounds of irreconcilable differences.
Baumgartner accused Costner of lowballing her with a $30,000 per month child support offer and leaving her with little money as a stay-at-home parent with no income by canceling a credit card over the course of the previous several weeks in the contentious case. In documents filed this week, Costner claimed that he placed the restrictions after Baumgartner, without his knowledge, used the cards to pay $45,000 to a Los Angeles lawyer and $40,000 to her Santa Barbara attorneys.
They have three kids together: Cayden (16), Hayes (14), and Grace (13). Baumgartner claimed in court records that she needed $248,000 per month to maintain the opulent lifestyle her children had become accustomed to.
Less than 300 apartments are available in Santa Barbara, where the typical rent is $6,200, according to Zillow. In contrast, according to Zillow, the median rent in California is $2,900.
Baumgartner claimed she had only $50,000 in her bank account as her only asset in prior forms. According to Baumgartner, Costner earned $19 million last year and paid the family’s $6.6 million in costs.
Costner filed a request to remove Baumgartner from their marital home after she filed for divorce last month, citing a provision in their prenuptial agreement that he said granted her 30 days to leave once the divorce process started.
According to court records, the “Yellowstone” star claimed to have given his estranged spouse $1 million for a new home and to have volunteered to cover the mortgage, insurance, and taxes for a full year.
Baumgartner charged Costner with attempting to evict her and the kids before a child support order was established. Costner objected to this.