Actress Halle Berry says she's a domestic violence victim and would never hurt a child

Halle Berry has denied allegations that she physically harmed her 13-year-old son, Maceo, as a court amended a temporary restraining order to preserve her final decision-making authority over his mental health and education, according to TMZ.

The actress filed a response to former husband Olivier Martinez’s request to replace their joint legal and physical custody arrangement with temporary sole custody for him and visitation for her.

Martinez alleged that Berry placed Maceo in a headlock and choked him during an incident involving a virtual reality game. Berry denied choking her son, putting her hands around his neck or restricting his breathing. In her account, Berry said she told Maceo to stop playing and later recorded him on her phone. She said he approached her and grabbed the device, after which they began “playfully roughhousing”.

Berry acknowledged that the encounter escalated, alleging that Maceo pushed her and later shoved her again when she tried to remove his headset. She said her partner, musician Van Hunt, intervened. She also denied saying, “Who is dominant now?” and said timestamped video would support her account.

According to Berry’s filing, Maceo subsequently returned to Martinez’s home. She said he had no marks on his body or neck when he left. “I would never hurt our child,” Berry said, describing herself as a survivor of domestic violence and an advocate against abuse.

The filings also set out conflicting accounts of decisions about Maceo’s care. Berry alleged that Martinez had resisted professional support for their son’s behavioural and neurodivergent needs, citing previous court disputes over “critical interventions for Maceo”.

Martinez rejected that allegation in a separate filing, saying Berry had “deliberately” misrepresented “my behavior where Maceo's mental health treatment is concerned.” Berry argued that giving Martinez primary custody would be detrimental, alleging that he lacked “child-centered guidance” and had allowed their son to make medical decisions himself.

Martinez also alleged that Berry made racially charged remarks, including calling him “a white bitch who takes money from a black woman”. Berry’s daughter, Nahla Aubry, submitted a declaration saying she had never heard her mother make racially charged comments. She described the allegations as “completely inconsistent with the mom I know.”

On Monday, the judge amended the temporary restraining order obtained by Martinez the previous week to clarify that Berry retained final authority over Maceo’s mental health and education decisions. That provision reflects an agreement the former couple reached in 2024 and will remain in place pending a hearing scheduled for October 16, according to TMZ.