Halle Berry’s never ending custody war with ex husband Olivier Martinez has entered its ugliest chapter yet, with shocking allegations she had “choked” their son Maceo on more than one occasion.
Halle has dismissed Olivier’s claims as “entirely meritless and deliberately misleading”, but an insider tells New Idea this new court battle is just the latest saga in the exes’ extremely bitter relationship.
“The hatred between these two is off the charts, there’s years and years of ugly history,” the source says.
“Olivier’s accusing Halle of being dangerous and saying he needs to protect their son from her, which she vehemently denies. She’s furious and says all Olivier is doing is trying to alienate her son from her.”
The French actor, 60, was granted a temporary restraining order against the actress, also 60, after accusing her of abusing their son, 13, on September 26 following an argument over a virtual reality game.
The actress “grabbed Maceo by the neck and started choking him while shouting, ‘Who is dominant now?! Who is dominant?’”, according to Los Angeles court documents obtained by People.
After the alleged incident, Olivier claims Maceo, 13, pleaded with him to “come pick [him] up right now” and in text messages included in the court files, Halle is said to have written: “I feel terrible about what happened last night as I know he does.”
In court documents, Halle reiterated she had “never” abused Maceo in any way saying “I am a victim of domestic violence… I would never hurt our child.”
The exes’ relationship has been fraught with drama from early on. In November 2012, Olivier made headlines after he got into a brawl with her ex Gabriel Aubry outside her LA home.
“She’s quick to point out Olivier’s infamous temper, their relationship was incredibly toxic and she’s adamant he was to blame,” the source says. “He ruined Thanksgiving one year because he got into a fist fight with her ex so it’s not as though her accusations come out of nowhere.”
When their brief marriage ended in 2015, ongoing disputes about custody and child support payments carried on for another eight years. Even after their divorce was finalised in 2023 and they were given joint custody, it all kicked off again the following year when they were ordered into “co-parenting therapy”.
Now some fear there may be no end to Halle and Olivier’s resentment.
“They have a lot of dirt on each other, and the more they fight, the more likely it is that one, or both, will do a nasty tell all,” says a source.
“Not that there’s any sort of end in sight. It’s not hard to imagine this dragging on until Maceo is 18.”
Halle’s daughter Nahla has also spoken out, shutting down claims that Halle has ever acted violently.
In a legal declaration filed in a Los Angeles Superior Court in response to Martinez’s filing and obtained by E! News, she wrote, “My mom is a loving and devoted parent. She can be strict when necessary and expects her children to follow rules and be respectful. At the same time, she is warm, supportive, and deeply involved in our lives.
“I have watched her do the same for Maceo. She attended his games, drove him to practices and tournaments, and advocated for his education and access to medical treatment and therapy. She celebrates our successes, supports us through challenges, and is always there when we need her.”
Nahla also specifically addressed the allegations that her mother caused “emotional and mental distress due to physical abuse” of her son with Olivier.
“In all my years living with my mom, I have never witnessed her act violently toward anyone,” Nhala wrote. “I have also never seen my mom throw anything at anyone, not a knife, or plate, or any other object. I have never seen my mom hit, slap, choke, grab, or physically abuse Maceo in any way.”
Halle’s messy ex-files
Unfortunately for Halle, this isn’t the first time she’s faced a nasty split and even nastier custody battle.
After she and model Gabriel ended things in April 2010, the fight over their daughter Nahla, then four, was dragged out for months – helped along by Gabriel’s refusal to let Halle take Nahla to live in France with her new fiancé, Olivier.
In 2014 the actress was ordered to pay Gabriel $16,000 a month in child support, which she later deemed “extortion”.
Though she didn’t have kids with her first husband, David Justice, or her second, Eric Benet, Halle still went through plenty of drama in both relationships.
Decades after their 1996 split, David said he left Halle as she wasn’t ‘motherly’, and refuted the misconceptions he’d abused her, after she said an unnamed ex had caused hearing loss.
Meanwhile, Halle divorced Eric in 2005 over his infidelities, recalling that she read about him cheating in a tabloid.
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