Halle Berry lost overnight visits and primary custody of 13-year-old Maceo after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Shelley L. Kaufman awarded sole primary custody to his father, Olivier Martinez.
Judge Kaufman Orders Primary Custody To Olivier Martinez
Judge Kaufman dissolved the temporary domestic violence restraining order that Martinez had initially sought to make permanent against the Oscar winner. While the protective order was lifted, Martinez retained the custody restrictions that were put in place when the temporary order was first granted. We are extremely pleased that the Court has dissolved the TRO,
Berry’s attorney, Marina Beck, told Page Six exclusively. A source added that this outcome is a massive triumph for the actress.
The former couple, who were married from July 2013 until their separation two years later, share the 13-year-old as their only child together. Their divorce was finalized in August 2023 following an eight-year legal battle, and they were declared legally single in December 2016 before reaching a co-parenting agreement.
Olivier Martinez Accuses Halle Berry Of Abuse
The custody reversal follows explosive claims made by the French actor in court documents. Martinez alleged that Berry physically abused their son on September 26 while the teenager was playing a virtual reality video game.
According to Martinez’s court filing, Berry jumped on the boy, put her hands around his neck, and choked him.
Berry vehemently denied the accusations through her legal team.
Maceo Testifies In Closed Court Hearing
The ruling followed a multiday closed hearing that featured nearly four hours of sealed testimony from 13-year-old Maceo on October 19. Berry had fought to keep her son off the witness stand, arguing that Martinez had coached the teenager and that the boy had a personal interest in minimizing his own conduct and shifting responsibility to others.
During the proceedings, Maceo’s therapist and a school official also testified, alongside Berry, Martinez, Berry’s fiancé Van Hunt, and Berry’s 18-year-old daughter, Nahla Aubry. Van Hunt stated that he did not see any injury marks on Maceo, and additional photographic evidence showed no physical contact with the boy and no redness or bruises on his skin, which Berry argued proved her ex was cherry-picking messages to make her look worse.
I have never witnessed her act violently toward anyone.
Nahla added that she had never seen her mother engage in any conduct remotely resembling the allegations and stated that Martinez brought the accusations in his quest to destroy her mother.
Prior Co-Parenting Disputes Lead To Court Battle
Before the abuse allegations surfaced, the former partners were already locked in disputes over their 50/50 co-parenting agreement. Berry had filed to restore their initial custody arrangement and regain the tie-breaking authority she previously held under their 2023 agreement, accusing Martinez of refusing to comply with ordered therapy sessions.
Berry asserted in her filings that whenever Maceo returned from custodial time with his father, the boy would be angry and combative.
With the judge handing primary custody to Martinez and removing overnight visits for Berry, how will the court handle the custody arrangement as soon as next month?
