Halle Berry has sharply criticized what she describes as her ex-husband Olivier Martinez’s handling of their son Maceo’s care, according to a new court filing submitted amid the couple’s contentious custody dispute.
Earlier this month, Martinez, 60, secured a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Berry, 60, after alleging that she physically abused their 13-year-old son by “jumping on him and choking him” during a September 26 incident. Berry has denied the claims.
In a filing submitted Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court and reviewed by The Daily Mail, Berry alleged that Martinez has repeatedly intervened in disputes involving Maceo’s education and therapy, making it more difficult to address the teenager’s needs.
Berry also accused Martinez of improperly involving Maceo in the custody proceedings and weakening her efforts to support their son, according to the filing.
She asked the court to grant her “sole legal custody over matters relating to Maceo’s education, healthcare, and mental-health treatment” and to extend her tie-breaking authority indefinitely.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Berry and Martinez for additional comment.
Halle Berry has accused ex-husband Olivier Martinez of mishandling their son Maceo’s care during their bitter custody dispute, according to a new court filing; seen in February
Berry said the requested changes would allow “necessary interventions” to move forward without further delays, conflict or harm to the child.
Her attorneys argued that the case has centered on Martinez’s alleged use of “manipulation, alienation, and litigation” to block needed interventions for Maceo and evade existing court orders.
Berry’s legal team further maintained that the allegations were not simply her “characterization of events,” asserting that Martinez’s alleged pattern of conduct is supported by multiple judicial findings, court orders and sanctions.
Berry also claimed that Maceo’s behavior at school has worsened significantly since the temporary restraining order was issued earlier this month.
The filing cited letters from school administrators stating that Maceo had become increasingly “oppositional, defiant, and disrespectful” toward classmates and authority figures.
According to Berry’s filing, school officials also reported that Maceo had become more disruptive, harassed a younger student, used inappropriate language and thrown objects at peers. He was reportedly given a week of detention and announced on his own that he would switch schools.
Berry alleged that Martinez had encouraged Maceo to believe he could influence decisions involving his education, healthcare, extracurricular activities and overall welfare.
Olivier Martinez, pictured in Los Angeles in 2016, has exchanged allegations with Berry in recent court filings
Martinez and Berry pictured at a Los Angeles event in 2011
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Along with seeking sole legal custody, Berry asked the court to require Maceo to participate in a year of therapy, including both individual and joint sessions, with a therapist selected by her.
Berry also requested that she and Martinez communicate exclusively through Our Family Wizard, a co-parenting application. Under her proposed terms, each parent would check the app once daily and send no more than one message per day unless an emergency arose.
For messages deemed ‘URGENT,’ Berry asked the court that the responding party reply within a five-hour span.
The filing from the Oscar-winner also included declarations from her fiancé Van Hunt, 56, daughter Nahla, 18, and administrators from Maceo’s school.
Berry and Martinez had been married from 2013-2015, finalizing their split in 2023.
Martinez’s lawyer Patrick Baghdaserians told The Daily Mail on Thursday his team was ‘pleased with the court’s ruling’ on Wednesday permitting Maceo to testify, adding, ‘We believe it was necessary.’
On Tuesday, Baghdaserians told The Daily Mail that his ‘client believes that it is in Maceo’s best interest for the Court to have all the information regarding what happened at [Berry’s] home on the night of September 26, 2026.’