Halle Berry 'Haunted by Past With Ex Olivier Martinez' — But Will 'Never' Give Up Her Brutal Custody Battle For Son
Sept. 4 2024, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
Halle Berry is "furious" she's still battling in court with her ex-husband, Olivier Martinez, eight years after their divorce.
An insider tells RadarOnline.com: "She's not going to sit around and keep quiet about this."
The Cloud Atlas star recently asked for sole custody of the 10-year-old son she shares with Martinez, 58.
In an August 16 filing, as this outlet reported, Berry, 58, alleged her ex "refuses to co-parent or communicate in a child-centered way".
A lawyer for Martinez indicated he would respond to the allegations in the coming weeks.
It isn't the first time Berry has faced off with an ex over child custody. She and model Gabriel Aubry, were locked in an ugly court war following their 2010 separation. Though they never got married, they had a daughter, Nahla, who is now 16.
At the time of their split, the pair said they "remain friends and committed parents".
But the bond soured when Berry wanted to move to France after marrying Martinez. She and Aubry became embroiled in legal drama, with a judge blocking the actress's move overseas and ordering her to pay $16K a month in child support.
Two weeks later, Aubry and Martinez got into a physical fight at Berry's house, leading to an emergency protective order against Aubry.
The insider said: "Halle was very irritated, many would say bitter, that she had to pay Gabriel so much money after all they went through."
Now, she's back in court fighting Martinez, who she has called "the life of the party", though she's expressed serious qualms about his parenting.
While Berry has advocated for tutoring and therapy for Maceo, who faces "educational challenges", Olivier has been "oppositional" to such interventions, she claims. Meanwhile, the Catwoman star has been ordered to pay her ex $8,000 per month in child support.
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A source said: "From her perspective, it would be fair to have the final word on her kids' upbringing if she's the breadwinner."
Berry, a self-proclaimed "hopeless romantic", has gone through three failed marriages.
The insider explained: "She's had some lousy relationships that could have been avoided in hindsight. Especially if she'd listened to advice from friends or taken notice of obvious red flags.
"It's virtually impossible to talk her out of anything if she's set her heart on it. That has its drawbacks at times, as her personal history clearly shows."
She was 27 years old when she tied the knot with her first husband, MLB vet David Justice, in 1993. The relationship became overshadowed by rumors of violence when the actress requested a restraining order during their 1997 split.
Berry, who grew up with a violent, alcoholic father, later revealed she had been in an abusive relationship, but didn't name the abuser. It was widely assumed she was referring to Justice, but the former Atlanta Braves player vehemently denied ever being violent toward her.
Her second husband, singer Eric Benét, came along shortly after her split from Justice. They wed in 2001 – and she even adopted Benét's young daughter, who was just 15 months old when her mother passed passed away.
But that marriage also didn't last and Berry filed for divorce in 2003. She explained they'd had "marital problems for some time" and needed time apart.
Benét later admitted being unfaithful in the relationship and sought treatment for sex addiction.
Perhaps she has turned a corner with new love Van Hunt, the singer she fell for during the pandemic, who prompted her to gush: "Finally, I'm exhaling."
Hunt has been by her side through the custody drama with Martinez, according to the insider, who said: "It upsets Van. They've been divorced for almost a decade, but Olivier still seems to have an ax to grind with Halle. Van's priority is making sure she feels safe and protected."
In her new movie, The Union, Berry plays a spy who reconnects with her high school sweetheart, played by Mark Wahlberg, and ropes him into a dangerous mission 25 years later.
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