Halle Berry accused of physical abuse against her 12-year-old son
The allegations were made by her ex-husband
Halle Berry’s ex-husband, actor Olivier Martinez, has filed a statement with a Los Angeles court against the actress and asked to be granted sole custody of their 12-year-old son, Maceo. According to Martinez, an argument between the 60-year-old Oscar winner and their son on September 26 escalated into a physical altercation, during which the actress allegedly grabbed the boy by the neck and choked him, TMZ reports.
According to Martinez’s account, the incident began over a video game Maceo was playing with a VR headset. Berry allegedly demanded that her son stop playing, after which an argument broke out between them. The actress then allegedly began pushing Maceo and grabbed him by the neck. Martinez claims that during the altercation she also shouted, «Who’s in charge now?». The boy then called his father and asked him to come and pick him up.
Martinez claims this was allegedly not the first incident of its kind and accuses Berry of other physical, verbal and emotional conflicts with their son. He also raised concerns about the actress’s possible alcohol use.
Following Martinez’s filing, the court issued a temporary order against the actress: Berry must remain at least 90 meters away from her former husband, while visits with her son are currently taking place only according to a court-ordered schedule — twice a week and every other weekend, until the next hearing.
Berry’s representatives have denied the allegations, emphasizing that Martinez’s filing is «completely baseless and intentionally misleading».
The former couple have had a strained relationship for years. Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez separated in 2015 after two years of marriage, but their divorce was not officially finalized until three years ago. At the time, the court ordered the actress to pay her former husband $8,000 a month, as well as cover Maceo’s health insurance, therapy and private-school education. Under their custody arrangement, their son could spend time with his mother from Monday through Wednesday and with his father from Wednesday through Friday, while the parents alternated weekends.
Photo: DepositPhotos.com, Instagram @halleberry
