The couple announced their separation in May, after 18 years of marriage, and since then, they have been involved in a wave of disputes
Actor Kevin Costner and his ex-wife, the model and handbag designer, Christine Baumgartner, reached a divorce agreement this Wednesday and will avoid going to court to resolve their separation.
"Kevin and Christine Costner have come to a friendly and mutually satisfactory resolution of all matters about their divorce proceedings," declared the couple in a jointly issued statement from the actor's representatives.
In this way, the couple put an end to the long disputes that arose since the announcement of their separation which had a date to be debated in a court in the Californian county of Santa Barbara in December.
“With great sadness, circumstances beyond his control have occurred that have caused Mr. Costner to have to participate in a dissolution of his marriage,” the actor's publicist then reported.
The couple has two sons, ages 16 and 14, and a third daughter, 12.
They started dating in 1998 and six years later, in 2004, they said yes at their farm in Colorado.
However, since the announcement of their separation, only controversies have arisen.
In June, the actor began a legal battle to have his ex-wife evicted from the home they shared after she refused to leave him within the 30-day window they had agreed to in the prenuptial agreement.
It is a luxurious mansion located in Carpinteria, near Malibu, valued at USD 145 million, in which they lived during their marriage.
Costner went to court with the relevant documents to request the eviction and even claimed to have offered financial help to facilitate the move.
"Kevin has consistently acted in good faith and has taken every conceivable step to ensure a seamless transition. However, Christine still refuses to vacate her independently owned residence, as per the agreement she made in 2004 when they got married," elaborated his attorney, Laura Wasser.
After several comings and goings, Judge Thomas Anderle ruled in July that the designer had until the middle of the following month to look for another place to live.
In any case, this is just one of the chapters of what - could well be - one of the most controversial divorces in Hollywood.
At the same time, the couple fought over the support agreement since Costner committed to paying alimony of USD 38,000 per month for his three children, which would decrease as they grew.
Baumgartner disagreed with this and demanded about USD 248,000 per month, a figure that the counterpart considered “exaggerated.”
Until today's announcement, the actor was provisionally paying the sum of USD 129,755 per month, pending a new judicial instance scheduled for November. However, with the recent settlement of which no details have been revealed, this issue would have been resolved and Costner would have benefited the most.
