A judge ruled that Christine Baumgartner must vacate the Santa Barbara home she once shared with her husband of 18 years, ‘Yellowstone’ star Kevin Costner
By Tracy Wright
SANTA BARBARA – A judge ruled in favor of Kevin Costner Wednesday and ordered Christine Baumgartner, to vacate their Santa Barbara-area estate by the end of the month.
Costner purchased the property before their marriage, and a pre-marital agreement allegedly stipulated that she would not only move out of the home within 30 days, but also no longer live in any of his properties if they divorced.
Judge Thomas Anderle denied Baumgartner’s request to move out of the residence by Aug. 15. Her legal team argued the Santa Barbara housing market made it difficult for her to find a new home.
They also stipulated Costner’s child support offer was not what Baumgartner requested for their three children. She’s requesting nearly $250,000 per month, while Costner’s offering $68,000.
Judge Anderle set her move out date for July 31.
In documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Baumgartner first filed for divorce from the “Field of Dreams” actor on May 1, citing “irreconcilable differences.” The date of separation was listed as April 11, 2023.
Costner had previously argued in court documents that “securing his right to access his separate property residences” on the compound, which overlooks the ocean in Carpinteria, California, was “an important priority.”
“Kevin was married once before and, upon separation, he found himself without a home base and unable to live in his own home,” Costner’s legal team wrote in his initial request for order.
“He never wanted that to happen again. Because of the nature of his work, Kevin is frequently working out of town; it was and remains therefore particularly important to him that when he is home, he has a home to go to.”
Christopher C. Melcher, celebrity lawyer and partner at Walzer, Melcher & Yoda told Fox News Digital that while these decisions may be difficult, “a deal’s a deal” and pre-marital agreements are in place for this reason.
“I’m sure it’s difficult for Christine to move out of her home where she raised her kids, but a deal’s a deal,” Melcher said. “She made an agreement with Kevin that if they ever broke up, she would move out within 30 days, so the judge is just enforcing that promise.”
The “Dances With Wolves” star and Baumgartner both filed for joint custody of their three children: Cayden, 15, Hayes, 14 and Grace, 12. A hearing is set for July 12 in the child custody case.
“He’s asking for $68,000 in child support to be paid to Christine; she wants $248,000 a month,” Melcher said. “My guess is that he feels that Judge Anderle will back him up on his request.”
Melcher was also impressed with the pace of the court proceedings.
“It was stunningly quick,” he said. “Most of these cases don’t resolve at the first hearing, but Judge Anderle ordered Christine Costner to vacate Kevin Costner’s home by July 31, so that’s a month earlier than she was proposing.
He added, “I would like to see other divorce cases move as quickly as this one but most of them go at a glacial pace. I think this is an exception to what we normally see, which is months or maybe even years of dragged out proceedings.”
When it comes to Baumgartner following the judge’s orders, Melcher believed Christine has “enough money to make the move” and will be out of the home by July 31.
“Kevin’s offering for the moving expenses,” he said. “She could try to challenge this on appeal, but I think that would be a mistake, so I do believe we’ll see her moving out by July 31.”
