Court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight have revealed that Christine Baumgartner, the estranged wife of actor Kevin Costner, owes over $300,000 to her divorce lawyers. Baumgartner had requested $855,000 from Costner to cover her legal fees, a request that his lawyers have called “nothing short of outrageous.”
In response to Baumgartner’s request, Costner’s lawyer, Parima Pandkhou, pointed out that the 68-year-old actor had already paid over $300,000 in legal fees to Baumgartner in July. Costner’s lawyers argued that the bill for $885,000 in legal fees was excessive and stated that Baumgartner’s request was unreasonable.
According to court documents filed by Baumgartner’s lawyers and cited by Entertainment Tonight, she had actually asked for $855,000, not $885,000. The request for additional funds was due to Baumgartner’s lawyers claiming that she owed them $314,113 “for past fees and costs.” The documents clarified that only a portion of the requested fees were for the upcoming November/December bifurcated trial.
The remaining $541,887, as stated in the documents, would be allocated for future costs related to their ongoing divorce case. Baumgartner’s lawyers argued that Costner had been outspending her in the proceedings and that her request for more money would level the playing field.
Baumgartner’s lawyers also accused Costner of failing to comply with the Family Code mandate that litigation must be carried out on a level playing field regarding attorney’s fees and costs. They highlighted that Costner had spent over $850,000 in legal fees so far, including expenses related to a recent child-support hearing held between late August and early September.
In response to the request for additional funds, Costner’s lawyers argued that the amount he had incurred in legal fees should not determine the amount awarded to Baumgartner. They claimed that Costner had been forced to spend substantial attorney’s fees due to Baumgartner’s uncooperative conduct.
Representatives for Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner have not yet responded to requests for comments from Insider.
Baumgartner filed for divorce from Costner in May after 18 years of marriage. The ongoing divorce proceedings continue to unfold, with financial matters being a significant point of contention between the estranged couple.