Kevin Costner and Kristen Costner attend child support hearing, accuses her of ‘relentless jihad’ against his character: Here’s the latest

Kevin Costner Christine Costner attended an evidence hearing in Santa Barbara District Court on Thursday amid their controversial divorce It was an emotional day for the former handbag designer, as they disagreed over the amount of child support she was owed.

Yahoo Entertainment confirmed that Kristen, 49, broke down in tears on stage, while discussing the lavish lifestyle she and Kevin were living. According to an insider, Kristen became emotional when talking about the waterfront Carpinteria compound in California, where she and Kevin are raising their three children: Kayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13. Kristen was forced to vacate the estate, which is estimated to be worth about $100 million, according to the terms of a 2004 prenup. While Kristen is trying to convince the judge to give her more money, her lawyer said luxury is in the children’s “DNA” at this point.

Kevin, 68, was present at the hearing — “a sign of respect,” says the celebrity divorce lawyer Chris Melcher – An eyewitness told Yahoo Entertainment that the Oscar winner stayed put for the duration and was “definitely paying attention.”

In court documents filed before the hearing, his lawyers accused Christine of waging a “relentless jihadist attack.”

Meanwhile, during the hours-long proceedings on Thursday, Kristen denied having a boyfriend, something Kevin alluded to in legal documents. Her lawyer said financier Josh Connor – who Kristen and the kids were photographed while on vacation in Hawaii over the summer – is just a friend. (Connor is also said to be Kevin’s boyfriend.) In court, Kristen’s lawyer admitted that Connor loaned her $20,000, but said that should have no impact on child support.

Christine’s lawyers say she needs $161,592 a month in child support to maintain the lifestyle they are accustomed to. Although she was initially seeking approximately $175,000, Christine’s attorneys reduced that amount by about $14,000 in court on Thursday. However, the amount is more than $129,755 I got an award in July for temporary child support. In documents obtained by Yahoo Entertainment, Kristen’s lawyers said she just wanted to give their children “the advantage of a lifestyle made possible by Kevin’s large earnings and wealth.” the Yellowstone The star has an estimated net worth of $400 million.

“I think Kristen’s legal strategy is terrible,” Melcher says, noting that she made “bad moves that made her look greedy when it didn’t have to go that far.”

Christine’s attorneys came up with $161,592 based on Kevin’s income over the past two years. They estimate that he made more than $19 million a year from it Yellowstoneor more than $1.6 million per month. Christine claims in the documents that she has been the “primary caregiver” for the children for the past 16 years and has not worked outside the home since Caiden’s birth.

Melcher explains that Christine reached the “staggering” number given typical child support guidelines.

“It works for pretty much everyone, but we don’t have a cap on the formula. You can put in $1 billion a month in income and that would result in a massive amount of child support,” he says. “So when we get to these levels that we’re seeing here, the formula is no longer effective.”

Kevin’s legal team tries to convince the judge to give Christine a much lower number. (He initially suggested about $60,000 a month.) Melcher notes that the actor takes a “budget approach” in which he puts figures for what kids reasonably need for things like housing, travel, food, and clothing.

“Obviously the court will use this approach,” says Melcher.

Kevin said his income took a hit this year because he decided to leave Yellowstoneand chose to fund his Western sentimental project instead (horizon). In the affidavit, the actor allegedly “refused to answer questions” about whether he was offered the opportunity to star in the sixth season of the series. Yellowstone Or he chose to walk away, according to Christine’s documents. Regardless, Christine claims that he will still make a large amount of money from the hit series “regardless of his involvement.”

“Kevin is obviously very wealthy and they had a great lifestyle, so child support would be high,” says Melcher. “My estimate is that the court order will range from $75,000 a month.”

If the judge lowers the number significantly, Christine could be on the hook for the difference because it is retroactive to July 1st.

“She’s going to have to make $50,000 a month back,” says Melcher. “I think she overstated her position. She really demands identical lifestyles when the law doesn’t require it.”

In a summary provided ahead of Thursday’s hearing, Kristen laid out several reasons why she needs more money — and can only be categorized as #RichPeopleProblems.

After vacating the beachfront compound, Kristen agreed to the monthly rent at the luxury Montecito Hotel – home to Gwyneth Paltrow, Oprah, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry – which costs $40,000 a month.

“Unlike the Kevin’s Beach Club complex, it (the rental) is located on the mountain side of the highway. It does not have beachfront access, is not within walking distance of the beach, and does not have a scenic view,” her lawyers said in a lawsuit. arguing that the children should live in a “similar house when they are with Christine”.

Christine also wants her children to travel well while in her care, which means she should be able to afford a private jet.

“Similarly, since the kids fly on private jets to go on luxury vacations when they are with their dad,[California family law]says that Kevin must pay Kristen enough child support so that the kids can go on similar vacations when they are with her. And this is true even if the child support payments also improve Christine’s lifestyle,” the court documents state.

The Costners returned to court on Friday as evidence hearings continued. Melcher believes the judge is likely to award the number “immediately” upon its conclusion.

Christine wants Kevin to pay her legal fees, which now exceed $800,000. This is why Melcher believes the actress tried to collect the money she borrowed from Connor.

“I think Kevin is trying to get her to get other related money. I don’t think it makes much difference to this judge if she has a boyfriend or not, Who cheated“Or if somebody lent her $20,000,” says Melcher. “It seems this was done just to get revenge on Kristen for some nasty things she had to say about Kevin earlier in the papers.”

The rhetoric has been heated on both sides. In filing Before At Thursday’s hearing, Kevin’s attorneys reportedly stated in the documents: “Christine’s continued jihad against Kevin’s character adds a level of hostility to this proceeding that is wholly unnecessary and intended to distract from the intellectual exercise at hand.”

Kevin and Christine married in 2004 with a prenuptial agreement; However, its validity is contested. A trial date has been set for November.