Photo credit: Halle Berry (Instagram)
Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez’s custody dispute has intensified after a judge ruled that their 13-year-old son, Maceo, can testify in court about a request for a restraining order.
According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Shelley Kaufman approved the teenager’s testimony but limited its scope to the restraining order request.
The ruling comes amid serious allegations between the former couple. Martinez has accused Berry of abusing their son, while the actress has vehemently denied the claims.
Judge limits Maceo’s court testimony
Martinez recently asked the court to allow Maceo to share his account of an alleged incident involving his mother. In court filings, the French actor argued that his son should have the opportunity to explain what he experienced.
He also claimed the teenager’s testimony could help the court understand an incident that allegedly occurred on September 26.
However, the judge’s decision limits Maceo’s testimony to the request for a restraining order. The ruling does not establish whether the allegations against Berry are true.
Page Six reported that it contacted Berry’s legal team for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Olivier Martinez accuses Halle Berry of abuse
The dispute escalated last month when Martinez filed for a temporary restraining order against Berry. He accused the Monster’s Ball actress of jumping on Maceo and putting her hands around his neck in an alleged choking incident.
Berry has strongly denied the accusations.
The allegations have added another difficult chapter to the former couple’s custody dispute. Martinez and Berry married in 2013 and divorced in 2016.
They share Maceo, who is now 13. Berry also has an older daughter, Nahla Aubry, from her previous relationship with model Gabriel Aubry.
Custody dispute also involves Berry’s daughter
The court battle has also raised questions about whether Berry’s daughter should testify.
Martinez reportedly asked the judge to prevent Nahla, 18, from taking the stand. He argued in court filings that she had no significant bearing on the case and questioned whether she could provide an impartial account.
Nahla had previously defended her mother against the abuse allegations, according to the report.
Martinez argued that involving Berry’s daughter would bring someone he considers unrelated to the dispute into the legal proceedings.
The latest ruling allowing Maceo to testify marks a separate development in the case. The judge’s decision specifically limits the teenager’s testimony to the restraining order request.
Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez face ongoing custody proceedings
Martinez was previously granted primary custody of Maceo, according to Page Six. The arrangement also limits Berry’s time with her son to two days a week and every other weekend.
The ongoing legal dispute has placed the family’s private matters under public scrutiny. However, the allegations remain contested, and Berry has denied the claims made against her.
The court’s decision now allows Maceo to speak within the limited scope set by the judge as the former couple’s custody battle continues.
Source: Page Six
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