Celebrity
Halle Berry and ex-Olivier Martinez had parenting therapy for son Maceo, 12, before abuse claims surfaced.
Halle Berry and Ex Tried Co-Parenting Therapy Before Custody Battle
Halle Berry and her ex Olivier Martinez had previously gone to ‘co-parenting therapy’ in a bid to sort out ‘conflicts between them over raising the kids. ‘ Following Olivier’s accusation that the actress subjected him to physical abuse (which she says has no basis at all), the court granted him temporary primary custody of the family boy.
The court order protecting Olivier Martinez from Berry was issued after Berry was accused of domestic violence and granted a temporary restraining order against Halle Berry that also keeps their child away from her. The order prohibits Berry from approaching Martinez within a distance of 100 yards.
In the course of their relationship, Olivier and Halle went through seven years of the most stormy breakup and their subsequent divorce war. A friend of theirs explained to journalists that Martinez’s ‘bad temper’ was the main reason for their marriage break-up.
According to court papers acquired by PEOPLE, a statement from Halle and Olivier indicated that they had made an attempt to resolve the problems and conflicts through ‘co-parenting therapy’ sessions. These sessions presumably helped them in co-working out the problems with the child’s upbringing even after the relationship’s termination.
Therapy Included Van Hunt But Failed to Resolve Parenting Differences
The package contained private coaching with the therapist and six combined sessions. Halle’s fiancé Van Hunt was allowed as well. Nevertheless, it didn’t work as a solution for the long term, so after August 2024, Halle Berry says the problem was that Olivier Martinez didn’t attend their co-parenting therapy and that he should be forced to participate. The judge ruled in favor of the actress in October, though it was commented that Martinez had already satisfied her demand since she went to court with him.
As stated by someone, they’re both really into their kids in a very diverse way, so they were finding parenting very tough. Still, they both have a great affection for Maceo, and he is an amazing student and really focused. Halle says that they want to do anything to preserve his privacy. Halle and Olivia decided to split in 2016, but it’s not until 2023 that the two have finally gone through a divorce after a tough legal contest.
After their separation, people said that one of the main reasons for their divorce was Olivier’s ‘bad temper,’ with a source telling PEOPLE, ‘He wasn’t physically abusive to her. He was very possessive in a kind of caveman way but was never abusive to her or the family.
‘It was his temper that made him so scary to be with at times. You never knew what would push him over the edge. ‘ Olivie was known to have a very short fuse when he was a bit famous as a result of a clash he had with Halle’s ex, Gabriel Aubry, who she has a 16-year-old daughter Nahla with.
Gabriel Aubry Clash Resurfaces Amid Custody Fight
The two men got into a fight physically when Gabriel showed up to drop off his daughter at Halle’s residence in Los Angeles. Both of them had to be hospitalized because of the injuries they sustained. According to Gabriel’s statement to the court, he was getting ready to drive off after dropping his daughter, Olivier stopped him and said they had to talk. ‘Out of nowhere, Mr. Martinez jumped on me from the side, punched me so hard that he brought me down to the ground.
‘Then, he punched me two or three times, kicked me in the ribs with his knee or foot, grabbed my head, and slammed it on the concrete driveway,’ he stated.
‘As he was physically ravaging me, Mr. Martinez said in a loud and menacing tone, ‘You cost us 3 million dollars. When you see the judge, you’re going to tell him you’re going to Paris or I’m going to kill you. You’re going to Paris; you’re going to get your 20 grand a month in child support.’ From now on, you’re going to make drop-offs on the street. I’m not just some [expletive] actor; you don’t know me.’
Gabriel was taken into custody and served with a restraining order after the episode. A source shared with PEOPLE: ‘Gabriel started the fight with Olivier, and Olivier protected himself.’
Halle Berry and Olivier’s LAX Battery Case and $5M Lawsuit
Gabriel ‘Booked for arrest of a private person for battery,’ LAPD spokesperson Andrew Smith told the media. An emergency restraining order was obtained to prevent Gabriel from coming within 100 yards of Halle, Olivier, and Nahla. Olivier had another battery case investigated for having a 2015 incident at LAX where he pushed an employee.
In the video clip of that fight, Martinez is seen holding up a child seat to use as a barrier between himself and the paparazzi as the whole group of them went through the airport. As they came out through a pair of double doors, an airport staff member was witnessed lifting his digital camera high to get pictures of Martinez.
Martinez reportedly pushed an empty car seat into the staff that had to be hospitalized for the resulting injury. The worker was apparently brought to a hospital and mentioned having a stomach ache.
Although no criminal charges were brought forth, the employee who was involved in that altercation decided to sue both Martinez and his daughter for $5M in damages. Their lawyer, on the other hand, reached a mutually acceptable agreement out of court after that.
Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez Divorced in 2023 Amid Ongoing Custody Fight
Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez finalized their divorce in 2023, after having first announced that their marriage had ended seven years earlier. Their divorce agreement stipulated that Halle would pay Olivier $8,000 a month (in addition to Maceo’s health insurance, therapy, and school expenses).
In addition, she was made to promise that if ever her income exceeded $2 million, 4.3% of that would also go to Olivier (after tax), that Maceo’s tuition at a private school and that other activities he attends (like the soccer he plays) are all borne by her.
Although they had hoped this would stop their conflicts, Halle filed for the sole custody of their children in 2024. Berry claimed that she had paid the legal fees of about two hundred thousand dollars, which were partly even ‘voluntarily’ paid in the order of one hundred thousand dollars towards the lawyer’s fees of the former husband. Berry said that actor was using the child support money to get by financially.
Berry wanted the child to be solely under her care. She said that Maceo was not making progress at school at all and that he is ‘grade levels behind,’ which she also confirmed by saying that he has been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia that are not so severe. Berry went on to say that either Martinez was ignorant of the problems that the child was facing or he was not seriously caring about them, which, in Berry’s opinion, makes him unfit to be the custodian of the child.
Halle Berry Loses 50/50 Custody After Olivier Martinez Accuses Her of Abuse
Thursday’s press conference brought with it some surprising revelations about how courts are dealing with issues regarding child custody and domestic violence in light of the latest developments. This morning, The Daily Mail reported that a copy of a court order was made public showing the court had temporarily given Maceo, the 12-year-old son of Olivier Martinez, primary custody in a dispute where a very serious allegation was made, i.e., that Halle Berry had physically abused the child.
He was quoted by Olivier, saying that Halle ‘physically abused our son by jumping on him and choking him’ during an incident on September 26, 2026. Besides a primary custody change, the judge also issued a temporary order of protection for Olivier, Berry, and their son. The order was a domestic violence restraining order that prohibited Halle from coming within 100 yards of Olivier.
There is not just a loss of 50/50 custody in this case, but more importantly, Halle will only be permitted to spend time with her son in the form of court-ordered visitations during two days a week and every other weekend till the hearing on October 16.
As for the actress, her lawyer Marina Beck said the filing is ‘completely baseless,’ and she explained that the actress was ‘not only familiar with this kind of conduct’ from the other but also ‘familiar enough to be able to tell the difference between facts and fantasy.’ The actress is really shocked by the events and will ‘not be deterred from continuing to seek what’s best for Maceo and will continue to love and support him as he needs.’
To put it simply, the filing reveals a chain of allegedly disagreements between Berry, Martinez, and the boy, the latest of which was enough for Oliver to take legal steps against her. Martinez claims that over the past year and a half, Ms. Berry has ‘wrestled Maceo to the ground,’ forcing him to ‘tap out.’
Halle Berry Allegedly Called Son Maceo “Idiot” Before Choking Incident
The documents accuse Halle Berry of physically restraining their son’s neck from the back when the son is not aware and forcing the child to withdraw from the fight on several occasions before. According to the accusations, Berry said to her son that those incidents were done in fun and, at the same time, their son was not a fan of them.
In accordance with the legal documents, Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez were also asked to take part in mediation to settle their dispute about the custody issue, a process that would remain confidential, TMZ reports. According to the restraining order, the incident supposedly started at a time when Berry told Maceo that his looks were ‘so foolish’ and the manner of his playing was ‘such an idiot.’
Martinez, however, claimed that according to Maceo, Berry entered his room and began pushing him. Maceo told Petitioner [Berry], Stop letting me finish the game,’ and Petitioner went into a rage,” explained Maceo, as quoted by Martinez. The court filing says that an actor has complained that ‘Petitioner, by pointing to the facts of what’s been done to a kid, has repeatedly told Maceo he is a ‘foolish’ and an ‘idiot’ for playing a game with the VR goggles.
After that, a physical fight with Maceo started and ended when a woman physically abused a youngster. She choked him by grabbing his neck while she was shouting, ‘Whose dominance is now? Whose dominance? Martinez said in the petition, ‘Maceo had no other choice than to fight back.’
From this, the kid was able to break Petitioner’s grip on him, said Martinez. ‘Then, he started to cry, which is when the boyfriend of Petitioner came in.’
Halle Berry and Olivier: Van Hunt Allegedly Defended Maceo
Martinez said that Maceo told Berry that Van Hunt was fair to him. The petition says that Hunt ‘took Maceo’s side’ as he packed all of his belongings to leave when the petitioner told him he wasn’t allowed take all his clothes because the clothes were the petitioner’s gift to him.’
When Maceo stated that the clothes were given to him which means he can take them away, Petitioner’s boy friend supported him and persuaded Petitioner to let him pack the clothes. ‘Petitioner was reluctant at first and wanted to take a look at them before she agreed to the deal.’ Martinez was called by his son at midnight with a ‘distressed’ call, asking his father to “come and pick” him immediately. Martinez then used SMSs to contact Berry to inquire about Maceo’s pickup, if he were to “accept that.”
The filing contained some SMSs which reveal exchanges between Martinez and Berry. It seems that the actress told Martinez, “No I’m not ok with it. What is the reason he wants to get his mother? What have we actually being raising?”
Olivier Martinez has said he was on a number of calls with his son who, in one of them, he is sure that he was in the presence of Halle Berry. Maceo said his decision to go and leave forever was not something he and Berry agreed to and that he had even gone as far as to leave without his things because they would be there waiting for him later. He claims that he has been receiving a number of messages from Maceo that he was asking him how long would it take before he could meet him if he would be arriving later than that.
Halle Berry Accused of Choking Maceo With MMA Moves
Martinez accused Maceo, stating that he no longer wants to spend his time at Berry’s house: ‘I believe he may be traumatized from the incident. My peace was disturbed by the fact that Petitioner physically abused our son,’ he wrote. Somewhere in the past, Berry is accused of physically abusing Maceo not just during the September case, but even before that. At some point, my son, as well as the Petitioner, told me about the incidents that happened before. They both confirmed that the Petitioner, without being provoked, has attacked our son and even used the chokehold moves she mastered when she was a mixed martial arts trainee.
Apart from these actions, the Petitioner has downplayed the situations where she was the initiator of the physical contact. When our son expressed how hurt he was by his actions, she brushed the problem aside and said she was kidding or playing with him.
Berry, however, is said to have threatened his father by saying, “If she does that to me again, I’ll kick her a@.”
Martinez went on to say that although the Sept. 26, 2026 incident where the Petitioner choked the son is the latest in the series of abusive ones, the abuse has been recurring over the years. The others are attacks, either with the son physically assaulted, or through the Petitioner verbally and emotionally attacking the father.
We all had a lot of sleepless nights due to this. The acts are within the definition of the Domestic Violence Protection Act as far as I’m concerned. In addition to this, a serious concern I have about Petitioner is her mental illness and alcohol abuse, which I also think have played a role in the violence against us.
Halle Berry Accused of Slapping Son Maceo; Olivier Martinez Requests Sober Tests
Additionally, Olivier Martinez accused Halle Berry of striking Maceo in the face in the past five years.
‘I am aware of the fact that Petitioner has struck Maceo in the face before,’ he says. ‘Specifically, she slapped him in the face twice, approximately 5 years ago. While I don’t have personal knowledge of this incident, I believe that Maceo would testify to this if he were asked by the Court or a Court appointed evaluator.’
In his filing, Martinez wished for Berry to remain 100 yards away from them, attend a 52-week batterer intervention program, and be ordered to remain sober while caring for Maceo.
‘An Order that Ms. Berry must not drink or be under the influence of alcohol or other substances while exercising visitation with or custody of Maceo. Ms. Berry shall complete Sober Link testing before, during, and after visitation with Maceo at intervals the Court deems appropriate. Ms. Berry shall complete any other test the Court deems appropriate for protecting Maceo.
