Halle Berry has responded after a judge initially determined she should pay her ex-husband, Olivier Martinez, an estimated six-figure sum and be subjected to sanctions as part of their ongoing dispute over custody of their son, Maceo, a new report claimed.
Court documents obtained by In Touch Weekly indicate that the magistrate overseeing the controversial divorce proceedings tentatively approved Olivier's request for Halle, 58, to contribute $360,000 to his legal expenses.
Olivier contended that the funds were necessary to contest Halle's "draconian" request to deprive him of legal custody of their son. Halle objected to the request and demanded that Olivier remit $455,000 in sanctions. The judge expressed his conviction that Halle should be required to pay Olivier $271,052 in legal fees and $6,015 in sanctions.
Nevertheless, the court determined that Olivier was obligated to pay Halle sanctions for $59,893. In turn, the judge determined that Halle would remit $217,174 to Olivier after subtracting the fees she was awarded. Olivier's sanctions were the subject of a motion filed by Halle in opposition to the provisional ruling. Oliver has submitted his objection to specific findings in the verdict.
The decision of the court to impose sanctions against Halle for $6,015 is not only in violation of Halle's due process rights, but it is also illegal according to common law. Furthermore, as stated by Halle's counsel, the court made factual conclusions that were either inconsistent with the evidence offered or contradictory to the presented information.
Halle also challenges specific factual findings that constitute the quantities in question. The judge has not yet decided on either motion.
Olivier and Halle were married in 2013; however, they decided to part ways in 2016. The divorce was delayed for years until a settlement was reached in late 2023, The New York Post reported. Halle accused Olivier of neglecting co-parenting therapy sessions stipulated in their divorce agreement earlier this year.
Furthermore, she alleged that he had planned to influence the therapist of their son by working with one of her former employees. The request to remove custody was met with opposition from Olivier.
After using her extraordinarily high income for several months to try to create a false narrative regarding Olivier's] cooperation with Halle, to which Olivier has not had the funds to respond to every letter and every email, she is now attempting to use her ability to pay any amounts of her own attorneys' fees to trample on Olivier's rights and gain sole decision-making ability regarding essential decisions in Maceo's life. This child spends fifty percent of his time and fifty percent of his time with each of his parents, according to his attorney.
Olivier requested $363,270.59 in fees, specified as $320,000 for attorney fees, $25,000 for a forensic accountant, $10,000 for transcript fees, and an additional $7,500 for an expert to testify. Olivier stated that he had paid $55,000 to his present legal counsel, as per Lawyer Monthly.
He stated that he acquired the funds by selling a Rolex and obtaining a $45,000 loan. Halle was disgusted by Olivier's request for compensation.
She requested that Olivier be compelled to pay her $455,000 in sanctions for “Olivier’s litigation conduct to date and to incentivize him to cooperate and reduce the costs of litigation in the future.”
The actress accused Olivier of being the reason they were back in court and criticized him as "willingly unemployed." Her attorney stated, “Halle should not be forced to pay for Olivier’s unreasonable conduct when he is the sole reason why the fees and costs have escalated in this case.”
Halle agreed to provide Olivier $8,000 per month in child support as part of their 2023 settlement. The judge has not decided on Halle's request for sole legal possession of Maceo.
