Halle Berry is facing child abuse allegations and a custody battle with her ex-husband of several years

Halle Berry/photo/Shutterstock

Halle Berry is currently dealing with child custody issues and accusations of child abuse.

According to USA Today, last week, her ex-husband Olivier Martinez filed for sole custody of their son Maceo, 13, and filed for a domestic violence restraining order, alleging Berry "physically abused" the boy "by jumping on him, putting her hands around his neck, and choking him" on Sept. 26. The former couple was reportedly married for two years when Martinez filed for divorce in 2015. The Los Angeles Times reports that their divorce wasn't finalized until 2023.

While the Oscar Award-winning actress denies the claims, her daughter and oldest child, Nahla, has released a statement to the court on her mother’s behalf, claiming that she believes her former stepfather is trying to destroy her mother and has never witnessed her mother be abusive with her younger brother, Maceo.

According to several media outlets, she gave the following statement, “I was shocked, very sad, and very upset when I learned about Olivier's allegations against my mom.” The teen continued, “Having lived with my mom my entire life and having personally observed her relationship with Maceo for years, the allegations are completely inconsistent with the mom I know." She explained that, regardless of circumstances, her mother has always encouraged her and her brother to maintain great relationships with their fathers. The actress’s eldest child also said that while she’s seen her brother be loving toward their mother and said they have a close bond, she explained that she's witnessed “Maceo be disrespectful, aggressive, and unwilling to follow rules at home."

The 18-year-old went on to say that her mom imposes the same punishments and boundaries that she did when she was growing up, and contends Berry is not an abusive parent.

Olivier and Halle/Shutterstock

Nahla also mentioned that she’d witnessed her former stepfather be violent, and recalls when he beat up her father, Gabriel Aubry. In 2012, Gabriel filed a restraining order after Martinez allegedly broke his rib and bruised his face during an altercation.

Yet, when Martinez filed for a restraining order and joint custody, he alleged that the Hollywood actress has been abusing their son for years and has an alcohol problem.

The court filing alleges that Berry had physical contact with the 13-year-old as he played his video game, grabbing him by the neck and choking him.

The actress’s legal team denies all claims, and instead says that Martinez is “outrageous” and has a well-documented history of erratic, possessive, and violent behavior.

In prior years, Martinez, who is also an actor, battled with Berry over custody and child support. Berry reportedly pays her ex $8,000 a month in child support after a difficult and drawn-out divorce. It was also reported that she must pay 4.3% of any income she earns above $2 million in support.

Despite the situation, recent photos surfaced of the actress spending time with her son in public following the incident.

PEOPLE reported that Halle does not want her son to testify, as she feels her son is being "coached" and "manipulated" while in the custody of his father since the alleged September incident.

The actress contends that her fiancé, musician Van Hunt, and daughter, Nahla, were the only other people who observed the situation. She stated, “Under these circumstances, the Court should be particularly cautious before placing substantial weight on testimony from a coached and manipulated child who has been repeatedly discussing the case with the parent seeking relief while discounting the testimony of adult witnesses with direct personal knowledge of the relevant events,” she said.

This story will be updated.

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