Actress Halle Berry fires back at ex-husband Olivier Martinez's child abuse claims

Halle Berry has denied allegations that she physically abused her 12-year-old son, Maceo, after her ex-husband Olivier Martinez obtained a restraining order against her. Berry’s attorney, Marina Beck, described Martinez’s allegations as “entirely meritless and deliberately misleading” and accused him of previously violating court orders and interfering with their son’s therapeutic and educational needs.

“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 said. Beck also criticised Martinez’s conduct and said Berry would continue focusing on their son’s welfare.

“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.” Martinez obtained the restraining order on Thursday after alleging in court documents that Berry physically attacked Maceo at her home the previous Saturday night.

According to Martinez’s allegations, Berry jumped on their son, placed her hands around his neck and choked him. Berry, through her attorney, has strongly denied the allegations. The court did not grant all of the restrictions Martinez requested. While Berry was ordered to remain at least 100 yards away from her ex-husband, she was not barred from seeing Maceo and can continue to have unsupervised visitation with him.

In responding to Martinez’s allegations, Berry’s attorney also referred generally to what she described as his history of “violent behavior.” The statement comes against the backdrop of Martinez’s widely reported 2012 altercation with Gabriel Aubry, Berry’s then-boyfriend and the father of her daughter, Nahla.

Aubry alleged at the time that Martinez threatened to kill him and attacked him during a custody dispute involving Berry and Nahla. He also claimed Martinez slammed his head against a concrete driveway, leaving him with significant injuries.
Berry’s representatives disputed Aubry’s version of the confrontation at the time and maintained that Aubry had been the aggressor.

Berry and Martinez married in 2013 and separated in 2016 before finalising their divorce in 2023. They share custody of Maceo.
 

The latest allegations form part of an ongoing legal dispute, and the restraining order does not amount to a judicial finding that Berry abused her son.