Halle Berry is speaking out against her ex-husband Olivier Martinez, who accused the actor of physically abusing their 12-year-old son and obtained a restraining order against the Oscar winner.
In a statement, the 60-year-old “Catwoman” and “John Wick: Chapter 3” star’s attorney, Marina Beck, downplayed Martinez’s protective order, which was granted Thursday by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge.
Beck then accused Martinez of repeatedly violating court orders and interfering with the “necessary treatment and educational interventions to the detriment” of Berry and her son, saying, “To say that this application is completely unwarranted and deliberately misleading would be an understatement.”
The attorney added: “In one sense, today’s filing is not entirely unexpected from an individual with a well-documented history of erratic, possessive and violent behavior. Fortunately, Halle is used to this type of outrageous behavior from Mr. Martinez, and while she is deeply upset, she will not let this deter her from fighting for Maceo’s best interests and providing him with the love and support he needs.”
Martinez’s attorney, Patrick Baghdaserians, did not comment on Berry’s legal team’s statement but said the well-being and safety of Berry and Martinez’s child are paramount.
According to the order reviewed by The Times, Berry is prohibited from contacting Martinez, 60, and their son, Maceo, except under the terms of a split-custody agreement in August 2023. The judge also changed the actor’s visitation period, limiting the hours he spends with his son to Mondays, Tuesdays and weekends between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Berry and Martinez married in France in July 2013, shortly after confirming they were expecting a baby together. They welcomed their son in October. Berry has a daughter with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry. The actor was also previously married to former MLB pro David Justice and singer-actor Eric Benét, and is currently engaged to musician Van Hunt.
Berry filed for divorce from Martinez in October 2015. Their divorce was finally finalized after eight years in August 2023; They agreed to joint custody of their son, and Berry agreed to pay Martinez $8,000 a month in child support. The “Monster’s Ball” actor was also ordered to pay Martinez 4.3% of his earnings over $2 million.
Martinez’s request for a domestic violence restraining order centered on a Sept. 26 incident allegedly involving Berry and her sons. Martinez alleged that the actor “physically abused our son Maceo by jumping on him, wrapping his hands around his neck, and strangling him.”
The financial terms of their divorce appeared to be at the center of another incident in 2023 in which Berry allegedly told the then-9-year-old Maceo that her father was “a white whore trying to rob a Black woman” because of child support issues, the request states. Martinez’s filing included an affidavit regarding Berry’s alleged history of abuse and screenshots of a text conversation he allegedly had with Berry after the alleged incident in September, in which Berry wrote, “I feel so bad about what happened last night.”
Martinez requested sole legal and physical custody of Maceo. He also asked Berry to refrain from drinking or taking other substances during his visit and required him to complete sobriety testing “before, during, and after” his visit, according to court documents. The judge denied these sobriety test requests until the next hearing for the verdict on October 16.
Berry is a vocal supporter of domestic violence victims and a volunteer at the Jenesse Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to domestic violence intervention and prevention. The actor also spoke about his own experience with domestic violence growing up. She recalled her father mistreating her mother during a gala in 2015.
“He was there for too long, and his children, my sister and I, saw too much, and I too saw the damage of being a child of domestic violence,” Berry said at the time.
Former Times writer Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.