Last week, Kevin Costner went to court to try to evict his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, from their $145 million Carpinteria, California home. While the house is in Costner’s name only, Christine has been living in that home for two decades, she’s raising their three children in that home and she’s refusing to leave. She only filed for divorce in early May, and Costner apparently expected her to be moved out in less than six weeks. It’s clear that Christine is listening to her divorce lawyers, who must be telling her that they can get the strict prenup thrown out or altered in some way. Costner is also apparently pretty mad that Christine used one of HIS credit cards to pay for her divorce lawyer and a forensic accountant. I would assume that her lawyer thinks there’s a good chance that Costner will hide assets from Christine. Oh, and Costner is also demanding that the court evict Christine so HE will not be “homeless.” Despite the fact that he has several other properties in his name, including a neighboring house which he uses for business. All in all, Costner isn’t coming across well. Here’s the latest:
A lawyer for Kevin Costner’s estranged wife says the actor cannot legally force her to leave the home they have long shared as a family. According to court documents obtained by Insider on Thursday, Christine’s attorney John Rydell says the request for order (RFO) previously filed by Costner, 68, “seeks to kick Christine and their three children out of the house that the children have lived in for their entire lives.”
“Although the legal basis for Kevin’s request to kick his wife and children out of their home is all but nonexistent, this is still a matter of critical importance for Christine,” Rydell reportedly added in the court filing, per Insider. (The attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment Friday morning.)
A Costner source tells PEOPLE, “It’s disingenuous to bring the kids into this. This has nothing to do with the kids. The kids’ foundation is solid. This is all about Christine. Kevin has gone above and beyond in providing Christine the necessary means to find a suitable place for her to move.”
Rydell’s reported statements came one day after TMZ obtained court documentation stating Costner said that, per their prenuptial agreement, Christine, 49, had 30 days to leave the house owned by the Yellowstone actor after filing for divorce. Since she filed on May 1, that deadline has passed and she is still at the property. The documents filed by Costner further alleged, according to TMZ, that Christine has not budged in an effort to force Costner to agree to “various financial demands.” A source told PEOPLE on Tuesday that Costner has given his ex $1 million on top of what is required in their prenuptial agreement. “He has gone above and beyond what the prenup specified,” said the insider.
The prenup stipulates that in the event of a divorce, Christine had to move out of their shared home in 30 days? Yiiikes. It sounds like it’s probably going to be pretty easy for her lawyer to get the prenup thrown out if the agreement contains clauses like that. Not only does it contain those kinds of clauses but Costner is demanding that those clauses be enforced! Ridiculous, I’m sorry. It’s insane to expect Christine to adhere to the bonkers terms of a prenup she signed 19 years and three kids ago BEFORE their lawyers have even begun to negotiate the divorce.
The Mail had more details about Kevin and Christine’s filings with the court – he’s totally opposed to sharing the same home with her when he returns to California from his film shoot, and his argument is that the children will remain in the home and he and Christine will share custody, once Christine moves into a much smaller property somewhere else. The Mail also did a separate story where “sources close to Christine” spoke about why she’s so adamant about remaining in the Carpinteria home:
Christine Baumgartner is digging in her heels and intends to stay put at the $145 million marital home she has shared with Kevin Costner – and it’s for the sake of the children, friends tell DailyMail.com exclusively.
‘Christine is the one who turned the house into a home,’ says a friend of the couple. ‘She’s the one who has been living in the house with the kids all these years, and the kids don’t think she should leave either.’ Kevin is rarely ever home, the source said, which was one of the main reasons their relationship went sour. ‘His priority has been his work, and now all of a sudden the property is so important to him. He’s bitter and lashing out because Christine pulled the plug on the marriage.’
‘Christine said she’s being made out to be some gold digger, but for her this isn’t about money. It’s about keeping some sort of normalcy for the kids. If anyone should find a new house, it should be Kevin. Christine is not about to budge, so Kevin should just give in and move on. Kevin should be thinking of the kids instead of himself. She also said Kevin has plenty of other houses he can choose from to make his primary home.’
I have no idea if she’s a golddigger, but I completely understand why she filed for divorce so suddenly and why she’s standing her ground – she married a petty, small man who left her to raise their children for months at a time and now he’s trying to punish her for leaving him.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
94th Academy Awards (Oscars) – Red Carpet Arrivals Featuring: Christine Baumgartner, Kevin Costner Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 27 Mar 2022 Credit: Abby Grant/Cover Images 
Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Featuring: Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 27 Mar 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages/Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR NORTH AMERICA** 
USA Rights Only, Los Angeles, CA – 20220327- The 94th Academy Awards – Arrivals and Press Room -PICTURED: Christine Baumgartner and Kevin Costner -PHOTO by: Geisler/Dave Bedrosian/DDP/INSTARimages.com -ddp_16922393 This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Christine Baumgartner and Kevin Costner Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 27 Mar 2022 Credit: Geisler/Dave Bedrosian/DDP/INSTA **USA Rights Only**
Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Featuring: Kevin Costner, Christine Baumgartner Where: Beverly Hills, California, United States When: 27 Mar 2022 Credit: Abby Grant/Cover ImagesncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWpiaIR4e8KhqaKrpJ67pqvBmqymn5Gnwa%2Bx0ZiroaGeoMCgt8SvoKeXk6TAtbrEq5aiq4%2BXtrXAxKuWpZmjnbavs76orK2XkamsqbHRaA%3D%3D