Kevin Costner’s Lawyer Says Estranged Wife Is Robbing Him
After nearly 20 years of marriage, it came as a shock to many when Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner announced their plans to separate and divorce earlier this year. With the Yellowstone star’s career only soaring to greater heights, it’s been the only piece of sad news coming out about him in recent days. But, according to TMZ, things are getting dicey between the exes as according to the Dancing with Wolves star’s lawyer, his estranged wife is taking some shocking financial liberties.
In a new legal filing, Kevin Costner‘s legal team claims his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner has been stealing his property.
In a batch of legal documents filed on Thursday, Kevin Costner and his lawyer launched claim after claim against Christine Baumgartner, with each allegation more shocking than the next. Costner’s legal team is making it appear as though Baumgartner had been planning to leave Costner long before filing for divorce.
The filing states that she “has shown a disturbing propensity in the last several months, both before and after separation, to take [Kevin’s] property without his knowledge or consent, especially since this case was filed.”
There’s also the case of a mysterious missing $25,000 that appears to have been spent on a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer.
The details put forward by Kevin Costner and his legal team certainly cast a dark shadow on Baumgartner, claiming that she’s been using credit cards issued to the staff for specific use on the Costner household for her own purchases. In one example, it’s alleged that she’s paying off her divorce lawyer with these funds while another states that she took out multiple cash advances on a handful of the other cards.
There’s also the case of a mysterious missing $25,000 that appears to have been spent on a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer. Any potential reason for Christine needing this type of legal assistance has yet to be revealed.
Casting an even more damning shadow are the purchases that happened long before the separation with Kevin Costner and his lawyers pointing out that Baumgartner purchased a very expensive vehicle which is strange as the couple has always leased cars. Upon a deeper dive into their prenup, one line states that she would be able to take her own vehicle with her, pointing to some perhaps planned moves on Baumgartner’s behalf.
If what the attorney is pointing to here is true, it could spell out problems down the line for Baumgartner as it would draw a direct line to the idea that she was planning on leaving Costner long before the separation took place.
So far, Kevin Costner has paid his ex-wife a whopping $1.5 million before any divorce proceedings have even taken place. Along with the drama surrounding the alleged money grab, the Yellowstone star and his ex have also been feuding over a handful of household items including artwork and dishes, although the filing stated that Costner would be more than willing to discuss how to split mutual purchases up should she want to take certain things with her.
The filing states that she “has shown a disturbing propensity in the last several months, both before and after separation, to take [Kevin’s] property without his knowledge or consent, especially since this case was filed.”
Finally, the lawyer says that in his team’s filing, they asked Baumgartner to sign a paper saying that she wouldn’t clear out the home before she leaves but, as of the time of this report, she has refused to sign.
As the drama and hard feelings continue to unfold between Kevin Costner and his soon-to-be ex-wife, things will certainly be coming to a head. Baumgartner is legally required to be fully moved out of their shared home by the end of July.
