Halle Berry is seeking full custody of her 10-year-old son Maceo, claiming that his father, her ex-husband Olivier Martinez, "refuses to co-parent or communicate in a child-centered way," according to reports.
Berry, 58, had made allegations against Martinez, also 58, who reportedly failed to continue seeing a co-parenting coach. On Friday, Berry filed a request for sole legal custody of Maceo in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County, People reported.
According to legal documents obtained by the outlet, Berry is requesting custody, "or in the alternative, tie-breaking authority to make all decisions" about his education, health and therapy needs.
In August last year, Berry and Martinez finalized their divorce. At the time they agreed on joint custody of their son, with Berry paying Martinez $8,000 monthly in child support plus 4.3% of her income over $2 million, according to People.
In the latest filing, Berry stated she has worked to address her son's "educational challenges" and behavioral concerns by seeking tutoring, an educational assessment, and a suitable environment for Maceo. However, she alleges that Martinez has been "oppositional, unmoving and withheld his consent for years."
"Because of Respondent's opposition to any interventions whatsoever for years and because of Respondent's prioritizing soccer activities over Maceo's educational and psychological well-being, Maceo's educational and behavioral challenges worsened, and he continued to fall further behind in school," the document stated, according to People.
In her filing, Berry claimed that, after spending more time with his father, Maceo would "act out" and repeat private arguments between her and Martinez. According to Berry, Martinez also said Maceo was old enough to make his own decisions.
Martinez's lawyer told People he will be "responding to these allegations" in the coming weeks.
Berry's legal team meanwhile, has argued that Martinez "ignores the professionals hired to help Maceo, and he aggressively stands in the way of implementing strategies and interventions to assist Maceo." The legal filing further claims that Martinez has interfered with "custodial rights, [withheld] information from Petitioner, [made] unilateral decisions on Maceo's behalf, [involved] Maceo in the parties' conflict, and [refused] to follow the recommendations of Maceo's school."
"To summarize, Respondent refuses to co-parent or communicate in a child-centered way or make child-centered decisions, which interferes with getting Maceo the help he needs," the filing alleged. "By refusing to communicate, withholding consent, or deferring decisions, he has effectively delegated to himself sole decision-making authority in violation of the parties' Stipulated Judgment."
Berry and Martinez married in July 2013. Two months later they welcomed Maceo. The pair split in October 2015.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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