Halle Berry is fighting back after a judge initially determined she should pay her ex-husband, Olivier Martinez, a substantial six-figure sum and be hit with sanctions as part of their ongoing battle over custody of their son, Maceo, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, the judge presiding over the bitter divorce battle reached a tentative ruling on Olivier’s plea for Halle, 58, to cough up $360,000 to help him pay his lawyers.
The actor claimed he needed the funds to fight Halle’s “draconian” request to strip him of legal custody of their son. Halle opposed the request and demanded Olivier pay her $455,000 in sanctions.
The judge said he believes Halle should pay Olivier $271,052 in legal fees and $6,015 in sanctions.
However, the court also decided Olivier should pay Halle sanctions in the amount of $59,893.
As a result, the judge said the amount Halle will pay Olivier after deducting the fees she was awarded comes to $217,174.
Halle filed a motion opposing the tentative ruling to award Olivier sanctions. Oliver has filed his own objection to certain findings in the ruling.
Halle’s lawyer 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.”
Halle is also challenging certain findings of fact that make up the amounts at issue.
The judge has yet to rule on either motion.
Halle and Olivier wed in 2013 and split in 2016. The divorce dragged on for years until they reached a settlement in late 2023.
Earlier this year, Halle accused Olivier of blowing off coparenting therapy sessions that were required per their divorce deal.
In addition, she claimed he had conspired with one of her former employees to influence their son’s therapist.
Olivier opposed the request to take away custody.
His lawyer wrote, “After using her extraordinarily high income for months to try to create a false narrative regarding [Olivier’s] cooperation with [Halle], to which [Olivier] has not had the funds to respond to every letter and every email, 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 request for fees, Olivier pleaded for $363,270.59, which broke down as $320,000 for attorney fees, $25,000 for a forensic accountant, $10,000 on transcript fees and another $7,500 for an expert to testify. Olivier said he has paid his current law firm $55,000.
He said he obtained the money by selling a Rolex and taking out a $45,000 loan. Halle scoffed at Olivier’s request for fees.
She demanded Olivier be ordered to pay her $455,000 in sanctions for “Olivier’s litigation conduct to date and to incentivize him to cooperate and reduce the costs of litigation in the future.”
The actress slammed Olivier as “willingly unemployed” and accused him of being the reason they were back in court.
Her lawyer argued, “Halle should not be forced to pay for Olivier’s unreasonable conduct when he is the sole reason why the fees and costs have escalated in this case.” Per their 2023 settlement, Halle agreed to pay Olivier $8,000 a month in child support. The judge has yet to make a decision on Halle’s request for sole legal custody of Maceo.
