Halle Berry has fiercely denied allegations she physically abused her teenage son, accusing her former husband Olivier Martinez of blindsiding her with court proceedings she fears could cause lasting emotional harm to their child.
The Oscar-winning actress, 60, is contesting allegations made by Olivier, 60, who obtained a domestic violence restraining order on 1 October on behalf of himself and their 13-year-old son, Maceo.
The French actor has also sought an emergency change to the former couple’s shared custody arrangement following an alleged confrontation between Halle and Maceo in September, according to court documents reported by Us Weekly.
According to the outlet, Halle said in a court declaration: “Olivier never contacted me to discuss the incident, never asked for my account of what occurred, never expressed concern regarding Maceo’s alleged allegations or questioned me about them or raised any issue of abuse whatsoever.”
She reportedly added: “I was absolutely blindsided by Olivier’s filing.”
The dispute centres on Olivier’s claim Maceo told him during a telephone conversation on 26 September Halle had physically attacked and choked him during an argument.
Halle has denied the allegations through her legal representatives, while her lawyer Marina Beck described them to Us Weekly as “entirely meritless and deliberately misleading”.
She and Olivier currently share custody of Maceo on a 50-50 basis, an arrangement Halle's ex is seeking to change through the courts.
The documents obtained by Us Weekly also reportedly show Olivier claimed their son “wants to speak with the court to provide his side of the story”.
Halle, however, is said to have argued requiring the teenager to give evidence would place him under unnecessary emotional pressure during an increasingly contentious dispute between his parents.
She reportedly stated: “Requiring him to testify would place him at the centre of an intensely emotional dispute between his parents and force him to choose sides in a conflict he is not emotionally equipped to navigate, especially without any therapeutic interventions in place.”
Halle reportedly added: “Given Maceo’s particular vulnerabilities, I worry about the stress imposed on him by being questioned about a highly emotional family conflict.”
The actress and her legal team have also alleged Maceo may have been influenced by his father during the proceedings.
Their court documents reportedly stated “evidence suggests (Maceo) has been coached and manipulated by his father”.
Olivier’s lawyer, Patrick Baghdaserians, rejected the accusation in a statement to People.
He said: “We vehemently deny such allegations. The child is the primary victim here. Victims of abuse should be able to testify regarding the abuse inflicted upon them. We are not surprised that the opposing party does not want the child Maceo to testify. The opposing party is seemingly scared of what the child will say.”
The proceedings have also drawn attention to Halle’s eldest child, Nahla Aubry, 18, whom she shares with her former partner, Canadian model Gabriel Aubry, 50.
Nahla has defended her mother against the allegations concerning Maceo, although Olivier has asked the court to exclude her from the custody dispute.
Halle, who became the first Black woman to win the Academy Award for best actress for her performance in Monster’s Ball, has also starred in Die Another Day, Catwoman and the X-Men franchise, in which she played the mutant superhero Storm.
Her more recent screen credits include the Netflix science-fiction film The Mothership, which was ultimately cancelled before release, the action comedy The Union alongside Mark Wahlberg, 55, and the survival horror film Never Let Go.
The actress has also spoken publicly about menopause and women's health, campaigning for greater awareness of the condition through her Respin initiative.