Halle Berry denies abuse claims by Olivier Martinez in battle over son's custody

Conflicting accounts of September altercation

Actor Halle Berry filed court documents on 5 October 2026 denying allegations that she physically assaulted her 13-year-old son, Maceo. The filing responds to legal claims submitted by her ex-husband, French actor Olivier Martinez, who accused Berry of attacking the teenager during a dispute on 26 September 2026. Martinez alleged that Berry yelled verbal insults, jumped on their son, placed her hands around his neck, and choked him while he was using a virtual reality headset at her residence. In his petition, Martinez claimed the boy contacted him immediately after the incident to ask for pickup and asserted that Berry had repeatedly wrestled the teenager to the ground over the past 18 months. Berry countered by submitting video recordings and text messages that she stated contradict Martinez's account. According to Berry, the exchange began as playful roughhousing when she asked Maceo to stop gaming and began recording him on her phone. She stated that Maceo pushed her after trying to take the device, prompting her fiancé, musician Van Hunt, to step between them.

I have never abused Maceo, physically, emotionally, or in any other way. I am a victim of domestic violence and help other victims of domestic violence. I am not a perpetrator of violence. I would never harm our child.

Custody restrictions and parental alienation claims

Following Martinez's emergency petition, a court granted him temporary primary physical custody and issued a temporary restraining order restricting Berry's visitation. Under the interim order, Berry is permitted contact with Maceo on Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays between 10:00 and 20:00. The judge declined to eliminate contact entirely and kept Berry's final decision-making authority over Maceo's education and mental health care intact. In her filing, Berry accused Martinez of systematically alienating their son against her and eroding her parental authority. She reported that Maceo would inform her of decisions regarding soccer, schooling, and therapy made with Martinez before she was consulted. Berry further stated that Martinez refused to attend family therapy sessions with Hunt and blocked early educational interventions, causing the teenager to fall behind in school.

When Maceo returned home after being with Olivier, he was angry and aggressive. It took him two or three days to adjust to being home, and when he returned to Olivier, the cycle repeated.

Custody history and upcoming court hearing

Berry and Martinez married in 2013 and separated in 2015, concluding their divorce proceedings in August 2023 with an agreement establishing equal 50/50 custody. Berry's latest filing asks the court to dissolve the temporary restrictions, reinstate the 50/50 custody split, and order Martinez to comply with mandated co-parenting therapy. On 4 October 2026, Berry, Hunt, and Maceo visited the Sky Zone trampoline park in Los Angeles to celebrate the boy's 13th birthday during an authorized visitation window. The legal dispute will proceed to a formal court hearing scheduled for 16 October 2026, where a judge will evaluate the physical custody arrangements and the restraining order.