Olivier Martinez has filed a petition for a temporary restraining order against his ex-wife, Halle Berry, accusing the actress of physically abusing their 12-year-old son, Maceo, and asking for sole custody.
Martinez alleges that an incident took place on Sept. 26 in which Berry “physically abused our son Maceo, by jumping on him, putting her hands around his neck, and choking him.” The accusation is contained in his restraining-order request and has not been established as fact.
In addition to seeking sole custody, Martinez is asking to change the parents’ current split custody arrangement. Berry and Martinez have been ordered to take part in confidential mediation to discuss custody.
Martinez alleges a broader pattern of abuse
The actor’s filing does not limit its claims to the alleged Sept. 26 encounter. Martinez contends that there have been “other instances of abuse over the course of the last few years.”
“These other incidents involve additional physical attacks against our son, as well as verbal and emotional abuse from Petitioner to me,” he alleges in the request.
Martinez also claims Berry brought their child into a dispute involving child support. He alleges that Berry told Maceo that Martinez was “a white bitch trying to rob a Black woman” because of child support issues. According to the filing, Berry then asked their son, “How do you feel about that as a Black man?”
Martinez further states that Berry sent him a text apologizing after the alleged Sept. 26 incident. The filing does not provide Berry’s response to the wider allegations, and her representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
Despite seeking restrictions on contact, Martinez wrote that he is not trying to permanently end the mother-son relationship.
“I do not want to permanently sever the relationship between our son and Petitioner, but I do not believe that they should be interacting with each other until Petitioner can take sufficient accountability for her actions,” he said in the filing.
Additional conditions requested
Martinez is also asking that Berry be ordered not to be under the influence of alcohol or other substances during visitation with Maceo.
Addressing what he believes to be the alleged incident’s impact on their son, Martinez wrote, “I believe he may be traumatized by the incident.” He also claimed that Maceo does not want to spend time at Berry’s house.
The filing represents Martinez’s account of the family dispute. No response from Berry addressing the accusations was included in the available material.
Berry and Martinez filed for divorce in 2015 after two years of marriage. Berry also has an 18-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
What Happens Next?
The immediate confirmed step is confidential mediation between Berry and Martinez over custody. Martinez’s requests include a temporary restraining order, sole custody of Maceo and conditions governing any visitation between Berry and their son.
For now, the claims remain allegations made by Martinez in his court filing, while Berry has not publicly responded through her representatives.