Kevin Costner was ordered to pay for his children's 'hunting club dues' and son Cayden's car-related

July 2024 ยท 3 minute read
2023-09-07T11:34:43Z

The child-support hearing between Kevin Costner and his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, may have ended up in the actor's favor, but he is still set to pay for the majority of their childcare-related costs, according to new court documents.

In a summary of the outcome of the case, issued on Tuesday and obtained by Entertainment Tonight, Santa Barbara County Judge Thomas P. Anderle detailed how he came to allow Costner to pay about $100,000 less a month than his ex-wife's lawyers requested.

The judge ordered the "Yellowstone" star to pay $63,209 a month in child support. Baumgarner's lawyers had requested $161,592 a month, a number that was drastically reduced from her legal team's initial ask of $248,000 a month.

According to the document, Costner's payments to Baumgartner commenced immediately last Friday, when the ruling was made.

In addition to that, the court ruled that Costner was to be responsible for "all the children's health insurance costs and unreimbursed health care expenses (including medical, dental, therapeutic and orthodontic)" as well as "all private school tuition and related costs" for his sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, and daughter Grace, 13.

Kevin Costner and his wife, Christine Baumgartner, at the 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards in 2022. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

On top of the health- and education-related costs, Costner is also set to pony up for "all the minor children's extracurricular expenses, hunting club dues, and Cayden's car and expenses related to it."

It's been well-documented throughout their divorce proceedings that Costner and Baumgartner's three teenage children have been accustomed to a life of luxury. People reported that during the child-support hearing last week, Baumgartner's attorney, John Rydell, said that it was "in their DNA at this point."

Baumgartner filed a list of the family's expenses for 2022 on June 15, disclosing that the children's education totaled $78,780.26 annually. The family spent $238,530.98 on medical expenses. Their hunting dues were listed as $12,000 a year.

In a June 8 declaration obtained by Insider, Costner stated that he was "willing to pay directly 100% of certain child-related costs."

In another filing from Costner's team on June 28, also viewed by Insider, he shared details of what fell under "extracurricular expenses."

He stated the children "surf, play volleyball, ski, and fish" and explained that "the referenced hunting dues are for bird hunting." 

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A post shared by Kevin Costner & Modern West (@kevincostnermodernwest)

 

"I bird hunt with two of my sons and anticipate doing so with my daughter in the future. Christine does not bird hunt and she does not accompany us when we go bird hunting," he said.

A hearing to decide whether Costner is liable for his soon-to-be ex-wife's attorney fees has been pushed to September 20.

At a Santa Barbara, California, court on Wednesday, Baumgartner's attorney argued Costner's lawyers had not satisfactorily produced all relevant documents for discovery to settle the issue of child support.

Her attorney, Rydell, reiterated he was only challenging spousal-support limitations and that there needed to be evidence of financial disparity in marital lifestyle.

"The other side seems to think the case is over," Rydell said.

Costner did not tune into the hearing. Baumgartner appeared remotely through Zoom from a car.

Representatives for Costner and Baumgartner did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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