Kevin Costner and estranged wife Christine are due back in court Wednesday – less than 24 hours after they announced they had agreed to an ‘amicable’ settlement to end their divorce fight.
The couple had been due to thrash it out over whether Baumgartner, 49, would be awarded $855,000 to pay her legal bills – something that has now been taken off the table.
Nevertheless, the scheduled hearing is still due to go ahead – with Judge Thomas Anderle likely to be given details of the settlement prior to signing off on it.
The warring couple made the shock announcement on Tuesday, saying in a statement: ‘Kevin and Christine Costner have come to an amicable and mutually agreed on resolution of all issues pertaining to their divorce proceedings.’
According to TMZ, the agreement includes a bigger cash settlement for Baumgartner, who was originally to be paid a lump sum of $1.5m and a year’s worth of mortgage payments towards a home worth up to $1m per their prenuptial agreement.
The new settlement is likely to be similar to the one previously offered by Costner in a letter sent on June 30 which would have paid her $75,000-a-month in child support.The mom-of-three rejected that, wanting child support set at $161,000-a-month – only for the amount to be halved following a hearing at the start of September.
Baumgartner had also wanted to challenge the prenuptial agreement with a trial over its validity due to take place in December, although that will no longer happen.
In court papers filed last week, the Yellowstone star’s lawyer Laura Wasser said Baumgartner had failed to answer questions over whether she understood what she was signing before the couple’s wedding while Judge Anderle had already told the estranged spouses that the agreement could be enforced.
The surprise settlement comes less than two weeks after Baumgartner vowed to fight on after a setback over child support that saw her temporary payments of $129,000-a-month slashed in half to $63,000.
In his decision, Judge Anderle said he approved the lower figure – which had been championed by Costner’s team – because he believed the higher amount was ‘disguised spousal support’.
On Tuesday, a friend told DailyMail.com that Baumgartner had agreed to settle because Costner has ‘all the power’. The friend explained: ‘Christine didn’t really have a choice but to settle because Kevin had all the power. Had she continued fighting, she would risk losing everything.
‘Christine said it is what it is. That she won’t miss going to court and having sleepless nights. She said for the kids it’s a win because no child wants to go through this, let alone in public.
‘She was the one who wanted to settle things outside of court in the first place. She never wanted any of this circus.
‘It’s been a living nightmare and now she just wants to move on and start fresh and begin making her new house a home.’
The pair had previously looked set for a long and bitter divorce battle with flashpoints that included who pays for attorney’s fees, how much child support Baumgartner should receive and whether she should get alimony.
Just last week, the ex-couple clashed in court papers over attorney fees with Costner’s lawyer Wasser pointing out Baumgartner had already been handed $405,000 to pay her bills.
‘Disso queen’ Wasser also accused Baumgartner of being ‘unreasonable’ and said her constant legal maneuvers – the majority of which failed – had inflated costs for both parties.
She also accused Baumgartner of failing to make a ‘meaningful effort’ to resolve disputes before engaging in ‘forced litigation’.
Wasser bristled when Baumgartner accused her ex of using ‘highly litigious tactics’ – noting that the pair had been due to take part in a settlement conference, only for the glamorous blonde to insist on an evidentiary hearing that took place before the scheduled meeting.
She fumed: ‘Christine fails to inform the court that her settlement position through the months of June, July and August was so unrealistic and frankly outrageous, Kevin had no hope she would be more settlement-oriented at the VSC [voluntary settlement conference].’
Much of Baumgartner’s testimony during the evidentiary hearing earlier this month had hinged on her being able to provide a lavish lifestyle for her three children comparable to that they enjoy while with their father.
Despite renting a $40,000-a-month property in tony Montecito, Baumgartner said her new home is inadequate because sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, would have to share a bathroom while daughter Grace, 13, would need ‘to share hers with the house’.
She also bemoaned the pool house guest accommodation – saying visitors would need to come into the main house to shower – and hit out at the lack of beach access to which her children are accustomed.
In his testimony, Costner said the property was comparable to his own luxury home in nearby Carpinteria and said it even has features he would like in his own house. The court also heard details of the family’s lavish spending – which totaled $240,000-a-month in 2022.
Expenses included $40,000 spent each month on flowers and gifts alone, although Costner’s forensic accountant Tracy Katz pointed out the figure is for the entire family, including Baumgartner.
Katz said Baumgartner was responsible for a host of big-ticket items, including $18,000-a-month on medical bills, $18,855 on clothing and $3,377 on beauty treatments. On top of that, Baumgartner was responsible for the lion’s share of the $8,886 in cash taken out at ATM machines according to Katz.