Olivier Martinez's attorney has denied claims that his client stormed out of a Los Angeles courtroom during a custody hearing on Tuesday, stating that Martinez was granted a three-minute break by the judge to use the restroom.
Patrick Baghdaserians, Martinez's attorney, told TMZ on Wednesday that the actor asked for a break, and the judge approved it before proceedings resumed. This statement comes after a report from Page Six indicated Martinez appeared agitated and was overheard using profanity in an animated discussion with his lawyer before leaving the courtroom.
Custody Dispute Details
The legal battle involves Halle Berry and Martinez, who were married from 2013 to 2015. Earlier this month, Martinez obtained a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Berry. He accused her of physically abusing their 13-year-old son, Maceo, on September 26, alleging that Berry jumped on and choked the child. Berry has denied these allegations.
Martinez's legal team expressed satisfaction with the court's progress, particularly regarding the decision to allow Maceo to testify. "We believe it was necessary," Baghdaserians previously told The Daily Mail.
Both Berry and Martinez testified on Wednesday. Berry's boyfriend, Van Hunt, and her daughter Nahla Aubry, 18, were also scheduled to testify, according to TMZ.
In a legal filing reviewed by The Daily Mail, Berry asserted that Martinez has consistently interfered with Maceo's schooling and therapy, hindering progress. She claimed Martinez has inappropriately involved Maceo in the custody dispute and undermined her efforts with the teenager.
Berry has requested sole legal custody over matters concerning Maceo's education, healthcare, and mental health treatment, seeking to extend her tie-breaking authority indefinitely. Her legal team stated in the filing that these measures are needed to implement necessary interventions without continued delay, conflict, or harm to the child. They also alleged that Martinez's actions are part of a pattern of manipulation and litigation aimed at obstructing interventions and circumventing court orders, citing numerous judicial findings and sanctions.
Escalating Behavior and Proposed Solutions
Berry's filing also detailed an escalation in Maceo's behavior at school since the temporary restraining order was issued. School administrators reportedly indicated that Maceo has become increasingly oppositional, defiant, and disrespectful. The filing noted incidents of Maceo disrupting class, harassing a younger student, using inappropriate language, and receiving a week of detention. He has also announced an intention to switch schools, which Berry claims is influenced by Martinez.
Berry has requested that the court authorize a year of therapy for Maceo, including individual and conjoint sessions, with a therapist of her choosing. Additionally, she has asked that both parties communicate exclusively through the co-parenting app Our Family Wizard, with a limit of one daily check-in and one message per day for non-emergency situations.