Christine Baumgartner Is Ordered to Pay $14,000 Sanction for Refusing to Explain Why Prenup with Kevin Costner Should Be Voided
Christine Baumgartner was ordered to pay a $14,000 sanction by a judge in Santa Barbara today, after he sided with her estranged husband Kevin Costner who said she had failed to provide full details about her bid for spousal support.
[...]
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Brett Ward, a partner at New York legal firm Blank Rome and an expert in family law, said a party requesting fees isn't unusual, although the potential size of the award is.
He also said judges tend to take a dim view of what they see as excessive requests and generally want to prevent drawn out cases like the Costner divorce is becoming.
He said: 'There is certainly a legal basis for [Baumgartner's] request. However, a judge will examine the reasonableness of the fees requested.'
'Judges generally do not want to encourage additional litigation by providing one side with a war chest of future legal fees.'
'Courts generally balance the less wealthy party's right to carry on the litigation in a fair manner against the concern that a party with a significant fee award will take that money and use it to make every possible argument available, no matter the merit or lack thereof for each claim.'
Ward said the enormous legal bills the pair are racking up are unusual in family court but added that much of the money can be explained by the value of the assets being wrangled over and expects the eventual tab to be much higher.
He said: 'At this pace, and without a settlement in the near future, I would not be surprised if the combined legal fees approach or exceed $5 million.'
To read the full article, please click here.
"Christine Baumgartner Is Ordered to Pay $14,000 Sanction for Refusing to Explain Why Prenup with Kevin Costner Should Be Voided," by Ruth Styles was published in DailyMail.com on September 6, 2023.