Halle Berry’s attorney has pushed back hard against allegations from the actress’s ex-husband, Olivier Martinez, who accuses her of physically abusing their 12-year-old son, Maceo, and is now seeking sole custody.
Martinez was granted a temporary restraining order against Berry on Thursday, according to TMZ. He is also seeking sole custody of Maceo, alleging in documents obtained by People magazine and TMZ that Berry caused him “emotional and mental distress due to physical abuse of our minor child, Maceo,” and that she “physically abused our son, Maceo, by jumping on him, putting her hands around his neck, and choking him.”
According to People, Martinez wrote that a September 26, 2026, incident in which he says Berry choked their son was “the latest incident of abuse,” and that he believes there have been other instances over the past few years, including “additional physical attacks against our son, as well as verbal and emotional abuse from Petitioner to me.”
Martinez claims Berry walked into Maceo’s room, saw him wearing virtual reality goggles while playing a game, and told him he looked “so stupid.” He alleges she then jumped on him, attacked him and choked him while shouting, “Who is dominant now?!” Martinez says Maceo called him after the incident to describe the alleged attack, and that Berry’s fiancé, Van Hunt, was home at the time.
Berry’s attorney, Marina Beck, rejected the allegations in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“To say this filing is entirely meritless and deliberately misleading would be an understatement. There is voluminous evidence, including numerous judicial rulings, that Olivier Martinez repeatedly violated court orders and interfered with necessary therapeutic and educational interventions to the detriment of his and Halle Berry’s minor son Maceo — misconduct for which Mr. Martinez has already been legally sanctioned.”
Beck added: “In a way, today’s filing is not entirely unexpected from an individual with a well-documented history of erratic, possessive and violent behavior. Fortunately, Halle is used to this kind of outrageous conduct from Mr. Martinez and, while she is deeply saddened, she will not allow it to deter her from fighting for Maceo’s best interests and providing him with the love and support he needs.”
Under the terms of the restraining order, Berry must stay 100 yards from Martinez and can only see Maceo during court-ordered visitations two days a week and every other weekend until an October 16 hearing, according to TMZ. The two have also been ordered into confidential mediation over custody. The petition additionally asks that Berry not be under the influence and that she undergo sobriety testing before, during and after any visits with Maceo.
Representatives for Martinez did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
A long-running custody dispute
Berry and Martinez finalized their divorce in 2023, eight years after they first split. They had filed for divorce in 2015 after two years of marriage.
Under their divorce settlement, Berry pays nearly $8,000 a month in child support, plus 4.3% of any income above $2 million. She is responsible for Maceo’s private school tuition, all of his extracurricular activities, and his health care. Martinez, per the judgment, is required to take “reasonable action” to find employment and contribute to Maceo’s support.
Under their current custody agreement, Maceo splits time between both parents during the week and alternates weekends, with exceptions for certain holidays. He is permitted one phone or video call with the other parent before bed, capped at 15 minutes, according to the 33-page judgment. Berry and Martinez are also required to refrain from speaking negatively about each other in front of their son.
Thursday’s restraining order petition comes two years after Berry herself filed for sole custody of Maceo, citing what she described as Martinez’s “turbulent and detrimental behavior” toward educational and therapeutic interventions for their son, which she said had affected her relationship with Maceo.
Berry also has an 18-year-old daughter, Nahla Ariela Aubry, whom she shares with ex-partner Gabriel Aubry.
