The divorce dispute involving Kevin Costner and his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, recently took a new turn after she contested their prenuptial agreement’s terms, claiming that she was under intense pressure and did not fully grasp the implication of the document she signed.
This is not Costner’s first time dealing with marital failure and divorce. He experienced a significant loss of assets to the tune of $80 million during his separation from his ex-wife Cindy Silva, and this prompted him to initiate an ironclad prenuptial agreement by the time he tied the knot with second wife Baumgartner, in 2004.
Kevin Costner’s legal team slams Christine Baumgartner for feigning ignorance about Pre-marital agreement
In a court document submitted on August 10, Costner’s legal representative has countered Baumgartner’s assertion. The attorneys emphasized that her claim goes against her earlier acknowledgment that she willingly entered the agreement.
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“This contradicts the unambiguous language in the PMA wherein Christine represented in all caps that she ‘voluntarily’ and ‘free from duress, fraud or undue influence’ entered into the agreement,” Costner’s lawyers wrote. “Christine cannot have her cake and eat it too.”
08/01/2019 The Art of Racing in the Rain Premiere held at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, CA Photo by Kazuki Hirata / HollywoodNewsWire.co
Kevin Costner’s prenuptial
Costner’s attorneys also argued that Christine has evaded responding to inquiries, bordering on whether she comprehended the agreement before affixing her signature. “Christine asserts she cannot admit or deny that she understood the Premarital Agreement because she (and apparently all of her attorneys) do not understand the word understood,” the lawyers added. “This is gamesmanship of the worst sort. ‘Understood’ is not a technical or arcane word.”
Both legal teams are preparing ahead of the November trial, which will ascertain the prenuptial agreement’s validity. According to the initial terms of the agreement, Baumgartner was granted a $1.5 million payout, but her decision to contest the agreement places this sum at risk of forfeiture.