Halle Berry & Ex Oppose Tentative Ruling In Bitter Divorce

Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez have never seen eye to eye in their divorce case; however, they both agreed to fight against a judge’s recent ruling.

Although they did not team up to oppose the tentative ruling, the pair echoed similar sentiments in their respective arguments. Berry and Martinez did not accept certain parts of the judge’s decision, especially the amount they had to pay in sanctions.

Halle Berry and her ex-husband have been butting heads in court over their separation and co-parenting issues. The “Cat Woman” star recently called out Olivier Martinez for being “willingly unemployed” and escalating their legal drama.

According to new court documents, the judge presiding over the duo’s tumultuous split reached a tentative ruling on Martinez’s plea for support. He asked the court to order Berry to pay over $360,000 for his legal expenses.

The judge supported his claims and ordered Berry to pay $271,052 in legal fees and $6,015 in sanctions. However, he also slammed Martinez with $59,893 in sanctions for his ex-wife — a move neither approved.

Berry filed a motion opposing the tentative ruling to award Martinez sanctions, while her ex filed his objection to certain aspects of the verdict. The “X-Men” actress’s lawyer, per In Touch, argued:

“The Court’s ruling on sanctions against Halle in the sum of $6,015 violates Halle’s due process rights and is prohibited as a matter of law. Furthermore, the Court made factual findings that were incomplete, inconsistent with, or contrary to the evidence presented.”

The drama between the former couple intensified after Berry tried to obtain full custody of their son, Maceo. Martinez fired back at her request to take away his custody rights, accusing her of using her wealth to intimidate him.

The French actor’s lawyer claimed she used “her extraordinarily high income for months to try to create a false narrative regarding [Olivier’s] cooperation with [Halle].” He noted his client did not have the funds to respond to her letters and emails, adding:

“She is now trying to use her ability to pay any and all amounts of her own attorneys’ fees to trample on [Olivier’s] rights and gain sole decision-making ability regarding crucial decisions in Maceo’s life, a child who spends 50 percent of his time with each of his parents.”

In his plea for support, Martinez requested Berry to pay $363,270.59. The sum’s breakdown saw him asking for $320,000 in attorney fees, $25,000 for a forensic accountant, $10,000 in transcript fees, and another $7,500 for an expert to testify.

The TV personality stressed that he was financially incapable of defending his case without help from his ex-wife. He claimed to sell a Rolex and take out a $45,000 loan to pay the law firm representing him $55,000.

However, Berry slammed his plea for help with a motion for sanctions. The Blast reported that she asked Martinez to pay $455,509.79 for his unpleasant behavior during their case. Her lawyer argued the sum was necessary for:

“Olivier’s litigation conduct to date and to incentivize him to cooperate and reduce the costs of litigation in the future.”

In her rebuttal, Berry’s lawyer criticized Martinez for being “willingly unemployed.” They described him as someone who “acted in bad faith and engaged in actions that have unnecessarily escalated litigation.”

Berry claimed she had already paid Martinez $80,000 for his attorney fees, yet that did not stop him from allegedly acting “irrational and unreasonable” in the past four years.

The actress’s accusations continued with claims of her ex interfering with their son’s development. She argued that he failed to utilize an expert’s advice regarding Maceo before doubling down on his refusal to work.

Berry’s attorney stressed that Martinez failed to secure work for himself and chose to live off his client’s monthly child support payments. The legal rep also blamed him for the lengthy court battle, arguing:

“While it is true that Halle was the one to initiate mediation and this post-judgment proceeding, none of it would have been necessary if Olivier had simply come to the table as a parent and addressed time-sensitive and necessary issues for Maceo.”

As for their child support claims, the court had ordered Berry to pay Martinez $8000 monthly for their son’s maintenance. They were also told to attend co-parenting therapy sessions, but the actress revealed her ex had been skipping counseling for months.

A judge is yet to rule on Halle Berry and Olivier’s respective objections to the tentative ruling.