Christine Baumgartner temporarily moves into smaller house on ex Kevin Costner's property previously 'used as a staff quarter' amid bitter divorce
Kevin Costner's estranged wife Christine Baumgartner may have vacated his $145 million oceanfront compound in Santa Barbara, California, but she didn't go far.
Following her court-mandated move from the 68-year-old actor's marital home on Friday, an insider revealed the mother-of-three, 49, is staying 'at a smaller house on the property that's been used as a staff quarter.'
'This is a temporary solution,' the insider adds. 'She is still looking for another house. She is staying in the area to not disrupt the kids' lives. They will be back at school in the fall with their friends,' the insider told People.
She is also reportedly 'trying to keep everything as normal as possible' and is solely focused on her and Costner's three children: Grace, 13, Hayes, 14, and Cayden, 16.
The update comes less than 24 hours after DailyMail.com shared pictures of her belongings being placed into her new abode, which sits on a vacant lot owned by the Yellowstone actor.
Just temporary: Kevin Costner's estranged wife Christine Baumgartner may have vacated his $145 million oceanfront compound in Santa Barbara, California, but she didn't go far; seen earlier this month
The large lot, which is located on the same street as her marital home, was littered with shipping containers and a miniature home isolated in the middle.
Baumgartner, who filed for divorce from the Yellowstone star in May, has complained of struggling to find an appropriate rental in the area.
Since proceedings began, the divorce has been far from amicable, from Kevin claiming that his ex refused to leave the mansion despite giving her $1.45 million for a new residence, to Christine alleging the actor was trying to make her and their children 'homeless.'
Christine insisted she has no plans to 'strip' their mansion in Santa Barbara of items before leaving the grounds — which she has been ordered to do by July 31.
Kevin — who was spotted with the pair's three kids the day prior in Aspen, Colorado— and Christine have been locked in a very contentious split over the past few months.
The drama goes back weeks when Kevin asked her to exit the home. Now the tension has been focused on what she takes when she leaves the house.
Earlier this month sources told DailyMail.com that Baumgartner fears the performer is 'out for revenge' against her after she filed for divorce, and will have police escort her out of their Santa Barbara home.
Staying close: Following her court-mandated move from the 68-year-old actor's marital home on Friday, an insider revealed the mother-of-three, 49, is staying 'at a smaller house on the property that's been used as a staff quarter' (seen in March 2022)
Tough move: Baumgartner, who filed for divorce from the Yellowstone star in May, has complained of struggling to find an appropriate rental in the area (Costner's beachfront home pictured above)
'He wants to humiliate her,' a close friend of Christine said. 'This isn't about the house, it's about making Christine's life a living hell for actually going through with the divorce.'
'Christine said she wouldn't be surprised if Kevin had her escorted off the property by police,' the friend says. 'It was Christine who wanted to make this transition as peaceful as possible for the sake of the children.
'Kevin has done the complete opposite. He's not thinking about the kids, about how traumatizing this is.'
Baumgartner shared in new legal documents that she will be showing photos in a PDF to Kevin's attorneys of what she plans to remove from the mansion, according to a report from ET.
And that means there should be no 'emergency hearing' over what belongings will be taken out. Christine said a hearing was 'uncalled for.'
Also in the filing, it was revealed that Baumgartner rented an 'off-site' storage unit to house some silverware, some pots and pans, a Peloton bike, family heirlooms, clothing and personal items from friends. There was also a 'mother/daughter horse picture' she wanted to keep.
And it was added that Costner would 'not be harmed' by Baumgartner during the removal of her items.
'This is a temporary solution,' the insider adds. 'She is still looking for another house. She is staying in the area to not disrupt the kids' lives. They will be back at school in the fall with their friends,' the insider told People
Last week, a judge ruled she must confer with Kevin before taking any property from the estate. She has been barred from taking art, furniture, furnishings or appliances with her, without his explicit consent.
It was also stated that she will be barred from removing any property, apart from her clothing, toiletries, handbags and jewelry from the mansion.
This comes after he accused her of ransacking the home that they had previously shared.
Through his attorney, the Yellowstone star accused his ex of taking his belongings 'without his knowledge or consent,' which he claims has increased significantly.
Baumgartner previously wrote in court filings that she was hesitant to leave her home without having a plan and funding in place, if only for the sake of her children, whom she doesn't want to have to move multiple times.
She claimed that 'Kevin wants me to rent [a] place without [a] financial plan in place. However, [I] have our three children to think about. It is contrary to their best interests to commit to rental that [I] may not be able to afford, particularly as that would ultimately lead to multiple relocations.
'My goal has been and continues to be maintaining as much stability for our children as possible, which includes having the proper resources and plan in place so that [I] can establish [a] stable home for them, rather than making temporary and inconsistent housing arrangements,' she continued.
The Let Him Go actor was on the hook to help his estranged wife relocate per their prenuptial agreement, but it was a relatively paltry sum for their lifestyle.
Costner would have paid her a reported $1.5million to find a new home, but with California's elevated home prices — particularly if she tried to stay near Costner — she may have had difficulty finding something similar to the luxury she and her children are accustomed to.
Costner has deposited $1.5million in Baumgartner's bank account to get her to move out of his mansion, and he said he had given her $200,000 earlier in their marriage in line with their prenuptial agreement.
However, Baumgartner hasn't touched the money, as she says doing so would rob her of her ability to contest the prenup's validity.
Co-parenting: The former couple share three children: sons Cayden, 16; and Hayes, 14; along with their younger daughter Grace, 13 (seen in 2015)
The former couple initially tied the knot in 2004, with Christine filing for divorce on May 1 after 18 years of marriage.
She noted that their date of separation was on April 11, and cited the reason for the split was due to 'irreconcilable differences.'
The divorce filing had left Kevin 'blindsided' and the star actually had plans to file for divorce first, sources told The Sun last month in June. He had assumed that the two were going to split amicably and follow steps in their prenuptial agreement.
Costner also claimed Baumgartner had made payments to her own divorce attorney via a credit card that belongs to one of Costner's employees, according to documents obtained by TMZ.
The latest bickering between the former couple comes just days after a judge determined that Costner must pay $129,000 per month in child support, which was a little over half of what Baumgartner had been requesting, but more than double what the actor and director said he should pay.
In documents, Costner's legal team wrote that Baumgartner 'has shown a disturbing propensity in the last several months, both before and after separation, to take [Kevin's] property without his knowledge or consent, especially since this case was filed.'
One of the more puzzling claims in the documents is that Baumgartner allegedly paid a criminal defense attorney $25,000 that came from a property fund that Costner had set up.
He claimed that he was unaware of the payment, and the money should only have been used for real estate transactions regardless.
More puzzling, though, is why Baumgartner would want or need a criminal defense attorney in the first place, and the filing doesn't appear to clear up that question.
The documents allege another inappropriate payment, this time a sum paid to Baumgartner's divorce attorney Susan Wiesner, which Costner's team claims was charged to 'the credit card of an employee which is traditionally used for Costner family house charges and paid by [Kevin].'
They also accuse the designer of getting cash advances on multiple credit cards paid by her ex but issued to household staff members.
The arrangement with the employee credit cards appears to allow Costner's employees to buy necessary supplies for the family immediately, without having to come to him or his estranged wife for funds.
Single: The former couple initially tied the knot in 2004, with Christine filing for divorce on May 1 after 18 years of marriage; seen in May 2023
Upsetting: The divorce filing had left Kevin 'blindsided' and the star actually had plans to file for divorce first, sources told The Sun last month in June. He had assumed that the two were going to split amicably and follow steps in their prenuptial agreement (pictured in 2022)
Although several of the claims in the filing appear to have allegedly taken place after Baumgartner filed for divorce from the Dances With Wolves star, Costner's lawyers also appeared to accuse her of having planned out her split in advance with large purchases.
The filing claimed that Baumgartner had purchased a luxury car months before separating or filing for divorce, which might not be out of the ordinary for the wife of an ultra-wealthy star like Costner, but the documents claim that the couple normally leased all of their cars.
However, the former couple's prenuptial agreement allegedly allows Baumgartner to keep her current car, and the new filing suggests that she may have upgraded it in order to have a better car after the divorce.
The attorney's allege that the pricy purchase indicates that Baumgartner 'had been planning her exit long before she told [Kevin] in April 2023.'
Costner's lawyers state in the filing that he tried to address these alleged purchases by asking Baumgartner to sign a document stating that she would not 'loot the residence' before departing, though she refused to sign it.
They further claim that the Waterworld actor is find with her taking all of her property, and he is supposedly open to her taking other things as long as she tells him before hand and they agree on it.
The details of the couples prenuptial agreement reportedly required her to move out within 30 days of either party filing for a divorce, a deadline she had missed after she was the first to file.
She previously said in court filings that she would leave the estate on August 31, following the results of a court date originally scheduled for July 12.
In the documents, Baumgartner agreed to vacate the premises at the end of August as long as Costner complied 'with whatever support and fee orders that the court makes on July 12,' according to TMZ.
Jarring: Baumgartner previously claimed in court docs that Costner informed their children about their split over a 10-minute Zoom call without her; seen together in 2008
The latest decision stipulates that both Costner and his ex will split their children's healthcare costs 50–50.
Baumgartner previously claimed in court docs that Costner informed their children about their split over a 10-minute Zoom call without her.
In court papers obtained by PEOPLE in June, Baumgartner claimed that Costner blindsided their children with the divorce over Zoom despite her wishes to deliver the news together.
'After a 24-year relationship, from his hotel room in Las Vegas, Kevin told our three children that we were getting divorced over a 10-minute Zoom call without me present,' she alleged.
'I am still confused by his motivation to do this via a very short Zoom session, especially since he was planning on being home five days later.
'He also could have easily come home from Las Vegas to have the conversation in person.'
Christine had wanted to tell their children about the divorce with Kevin.
Source: Daily Mail
