Olivier Martinez briefly left court with his lawyer during an Oct. 20 hearing in his custody dispute with Halle Berry, Page Six reported. They returned about five minutes later.
The hearing concerns Martinez’s allegations that Berry physically abused their 13-year-old son, Maceo. Berry denies the accusations, and her attorney, Marina Beck, has called the filing “entirely meritless and deliberately misleading.”
Both actors, 60, arrived separately for the second day of proceedings. Berry entered with her lawyer, without fiancé Van Hunt, who had accompanied her the previous day, according to PEOPLE.
The former spouses married in 2013 and separated in 2015. Their divorce was finalized in 2023, but disagreements over parenting arrangements have continued.
Berry Took the Stand During Tuesday’s Hearing
Berry testified Tuesday, Page Six reported. School staff member Jon Hay was also scheduled to testify. Outside court, Martinez reportedly used profanity while speaking with his attorney, Patrick Baghdaserians.
Maceo had testified for nearly four hours on Monday, Oct. 19. His testimony was limited to the request for a domestic violence restraining order and remains sealed, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Before the hearing, Martinez said their son wanted to give his account. Berry objected, arguing that testifying would put him at the center of a conflict between his parents. She also accused Martinez of influencing him. Baghdaserians denied the coaching allegations in a statement to PEOPLE and said the child should be allowed to describe what he experienced.
The Temporary Order Preserved Some Parenting Time
A judge granted Martinez a temporary restraining order on Oct. 1 covering him and Maceo, according to court records reviewed by PEOPLE. The judge restricted Berry’s parenting time but declined to prohibit all contact with her son, preserving daytime visits while the matter was considered.
Martinez is seeking sole custody. Berry has asked to restore the previous 50-50 arrangement established when their divorce was finalized. Those requests remain part of the ongoing proceedings.
The petition concerned a Sept. 26 argument at Berry’s home. Martinez said Maceo described the alleged assault to him in a phone call. In a subsequent declaration obtained by Us Weekly, Berry said Martinez had not asked for her account before filing and that she was “absolutely blindsided.”
Berry also argued that requiring their son to testify could force him to choose sides. Martinez’s filing took the opposite position, saying that preventing him from speaking could discourage him from reporting problems in the future.
Nahla’s Declaration Describes Her Own Observations of Berry’s Parenting
Berry’s 18-year-old daughter, Nahla Aubry, described her experience living with her mother and brother in a declaration obtained by PEOPLE. “I never observed anything abusive about her parenting,” she wrote.
Nahla, whose father is Gabriel Aubry, said Berry coordinated the siblings’ schedules so they could spend time together after the parents separated. Martinez challenged Nahla’s involvement in the case, arguing in papers quoted by Us Weekly that her testimony was not relevant.
Berry separately identified Hunt as the adult third-party witness present during the disputed incident. In her filing, she argued that his account and Nahla’s observations should be considered alongside their son’s, according to PEOPLE.