After a public court battle, Kevin Costner and his estranged wife Christine reached a seemingly sudden divorce – leaving many wondering what could have precipitated the deal.
“Kevin and Christine Costner have reached an amicable and mutually agreeable resolution of all issues relating to their divorce proceedings,” Kevin’s rep told PEOPLE in a joint statement for the former couple on Tuesday.
The turn of events is surprising, given the couple’s contentious legal battle following Christine’s May 1 divorce filing.
PEOPLE spoke with David Glass, a California-based family law attorney and former psychologist, who said money — and the unsavory attention to the couple’s feud — are likely significant factors.
“People go to court and then if one side doesn’t do well, which Mrs. Costner didn’t, she got a third of the (child) support she wanted. She didn’t get an award for royalties. She said the prenuptial agreement would be honored. Then began to think, do I really want to litigate the rest of this?” Glass notes.
“For Kevin,” he continues, “it’s probably just a money situation. How much is it going to cost him to go all the way through the trial? How much time, how much pressure on him and distraction from his career and his kids, versus what he could have paid to do with that?”
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Christine and Kevin Costner on April 5, 2022 in Los Angeles.
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Media attention only increased in late August as proceedings dragged on over a two-day child support court case in Santa Barbara, where Kevin was forced to list his earnings in projects such as Yellowstone and Christine made headlines because her lawyer claimed luxury was in their children’s “DNA” at this point.
None of that had to happen, Glass says.
“Most celebrity or high-profile clients go to their lawyers, and their lawyers explain, ‘Look, we should settle this because you don’t want any of this in the news. You can settle it, or you can go to a private judge to keep it out of the news cycle,'” says the lawyer. “And they didn’t do any of that, which just doesn’t make sense.”
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Kevin and Christine Costner on November 8, 2014 in Hollywood, California.
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On Sept. 1, a judge set the monthly alimony payments Kevin will pay Christine at $63,209, matching his proposed amount after she and her lawyers asked for $175,057, up from the $129,755 the actor was supposed to pay. The former couple have three children together: sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, and daughter Grace, 13.
The Costners were scheduled to appear in court again this December to determine the validity of their prenuptial agreement.
“After you get through that first hearing where you walk out of court feeling like a wringer and costing you a bunch of money, most people start to think, ‘Do I really want to go to trial?’ ” says Glass. Now, he notes, the terms of their settlement will be kept from the public.
TMZ, which first broke the news of the resolution, reported that Christine will receive more than what was stipulated in the prenuptial agreement. According to previous court documents, which mentioned the prenup, the former model was entitled to about $1.5 million.
PEOPLE confirmed Tuesday that the 68-year-old Oscar winner and his estranged wife, 49, have reached an agreement four and a half months after she filed for divorce, citing an April 11 separation date.
“Kevin is relieved that this matter has been resolved and will continue to focus solely on raising their three children together,” a source told PEOPLE amid news of the settlement.
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