Halle Berry’s Ex-Husband Olivier Martinez Sold Rolex to Pay Lawyers in Custody War.
Halle Berry's former husband, Olivier Martinez, has requested a substantial six-figure payment from the actress to support his ongoing custody battle. Court documents reveal that Olivier, 58, is seeking the court's approval for attorney fees following Halle's request to revoke his legal custody of their 10-year-old son, Maceo.
Attorney Fees and Litigation
Olivier has requested that Halle pay $363,270.59 to cover his legal expenses. This amount includes $320,000 for attorney fees, $25,000 for a forensic accountant, $7,500 for a custody expert, and $10,000 for transcript costs. He explained that the funds will go towards the law firm handling the custody case, with $150,000 allocated for services rendered from March to September. The actor mentioned that he has already paid $55,000 to the firm and is seeking reimbursement from Halle.
He also noted that he took out a $45,000 loan to cover some of the fees, while the remainder was funded by selling his Rolex watch to afford his new attorney, who required a $10,000 retainer. In his motion, Olivier claimed that Halle is the one who keeps bringing the parties back to court. He stated that she is “well aware” that he lacks the financial resources to continue the litigation.
Olivier claimed that Halle is still following the same pattern of demanding lawyer involvement at nearly every opportunity, but now she is also unwilling to participate in any settlement or mediation discussions.
Olivier’s Access to Justice
Olivier’s lawyer said, “Once hired, his current counsel asked Halle for an attorney fee contribution given the enormous disparity between the parties’ incomes and assets. Halle denied this request, thus denying Olivier’s access to justice, and she has fought [Olivier] aggressively, choosing the most expensive manner of dispute resolution — through the Court system, refusing continuances and foregoing hearings that she admittedly believes would waste resources.”
Olivier and Halle got married in 2013 but separated in 2016. Their divorce process took several years, and they finally came to an agreement in late 2023. As part of the settlement, Halle will pay $8,000 each month for child support, and both of them have committed to attending therapy sessions together.
Earlier this year, Halle claimed that Olivier was skipping the coparenting therapy sessions they had agreed upon in their settlement. She also alleged that he was working with her former employee to sway their son's therapy.
Therapist
Halle informed the court, “Olivier was dishonest and secretly sought out negative details about me from a past employee, pressuring her to talk to the therapist without my permission, which Olivier later confessed to me. Interestingly, Olivier had earlier denied consent for Maceo’s educational assessor to communicate with the therapist about Maceo’s needs. The therapist chose not to engage with Erica, as she felt that Erica's input was not pertinent.”
Earlier court filings had disclosed that the actress had stated she incurred more than $200,000 in legal expenses. Berry and Martinez finalized their divorce in 2023 after almost eight years together. Since then, their difficult relationship has impacted their ability to co-parent their 10-year-old son, Maceo.
Court Dispute
Olivier's previous lawyer submitted a statement during the contentious court dispute between the exes. The attorney, that works for Skarin Law Group, noted that their representation of Olivier, who is 58, ended on March 28. According to the lawyer, Olivier engaged a different firm to handle his case. At that point, the attorney indicated that Olivier had an outstanding balance of $19,920.34, which has since increased to $21,401.09 due to interest.
