Halle Berry has sharply criticized what she describes as Olivier Martinez’s handling of their son Maceo’s care and upbringing amid the former couple’s escalating custody dispute, according to a newly filed court document.
Earlier this month, Martinez, 60, secured a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Berry, 60. He accused her of physically abusing their 13-year-old son during a September 26 incident, alleging that she “jumped on him and choked him.” Berry has denied the claims.
In a filing submitted Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court and reviewed by Our News Outlet, Berry alleged that Martinez has repeatedly intervened in disputes involving Maceo’s education and therapy, making it harder to address the teenager’s needs.
Berry also told the court that Martinez had improperly drawn Maceo into the custody conflict and weakened her efforts to support their son, according to the filing.
She is asking the court to grant her “sole legal custody over matters relating to Maceo’s education, healthcare, and mental-health treatment” and to make her tie-breaking authority permanent.
Our News Outlet has contacted representatives for Berry and Martinez for additional comment.
Halle Berry has accused ex-husband Olivier Martinez of mishandling their son Maceo’s care during their contentious custody battle, according to a new court filing; seen in February
Berry said the requested changes would allow “necessary interventions” to move forward without further delays, conflict or potential harm to Maceo.
Her attorneys characterized the case as a continuing effort by Martinez to use “manipulation, alienation, and litigation” to block needed interventions for Maceo and avoid complying with court orders.
Berry’s legal team argued that the allegations were not simply her personal “characterization of events,” saying Martinez’s alleged conduct had been documented through judicial findings, court orders and sanctions.
Berry further claimed that Maceo’s behavior at school had deteriorated substantially since the temporary restraining order was issued earlier this month.
The filing cited letters from school administrators stating that Maceo had become increasingly “oppositional, defiant, and disrespectful” toward classmates and authority figures.
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According to Berry’s filing, school officials also reported that Maceo had become more disruptive, harassed a younger student, used inappropriate language and thrown objects at peers. He was reportedly given a week of detention and announced on his own that he would be changing schools.
Berry alleged that Martinez had encouraged Maceo to believe he could participate in decisions involving his education, healthcare, extracurricular activities and overall welfare.
Olivier Martinez, pictured in Los Angeles in 2016, has exchanged allegations with Berry in recent court filings
Martinez and Berry pictured together at a Los Angeles event in 2011
Along with seeking sole legal custody, Berry has asked the court to require Maceo to attend individual and joint therapy sessions for one year with a therapist selected by her.
She also requested that the former couple communicate exclusively through Our Family Wizard, a co-parenting app. Under her proposed arrangement, each parent would check the platform once daily and send no more than one message per day unless there was an emergency.
For messages marked “URGENT,” Berry asked that the other parent be required to respond within five hours.
The Oscar winner’s filing included declarations from her fiancé, Van Hunt, 56, her daughter, Nahla, 18, and administrators at Maceo’s school.
Berry and Martinez had been married from 2013-2015, finalizing their split in 2023.
Martinez’s lawyer Patrick Baghdaserians told Our News Outlet on Thursday his team was ‘pleased with the court’s ruling’ on Wednesday permitting Maceo to testify, adding, ‘We believe it was necessary.’
On Tuesday, Baghdaserians told Our News Outlet that his ‘client believes that it is in Maceo’s best interest for the Court to have all the information regarding what happened at [Berry’s] home on the night of September 26, 2026.’
