Halle Berry has asked a court to stop her 13-year-old son Maceo from testifying in her custody dispute with his father, French actor Olivier Martinez. In a filing obtained by People, the 60-year-old actress argues that the boy would be coached and manipulated by Martinez, who has accused her of physically abusing their son.
Martinez, who was married to Berry from 2013 to 2015, alleges that she choked Maceo during an argument at her home on September 26. He has also claimed she made racially charged remarks towards him in the past. Berry has firmly denied every one of these allegations in court. According to her filing, the argument began when she asked Maceo to stop playing a video game. The latest round of filings from both sides was obtained by People, and the dispute has been playing out through a series of declarations from family members and lawyers.
Berry’s papers say Martinez is relying on the account of a neurodivergent child who has spent most of the past two weeks in his father’s care, and that Martinez has discussed the allegations and his expected testimony with him. She also says her former husband is ignoring her partner, musician Van Hunt, who was present during the incident and is the only adult eyewitness from outside the family. In a separate declaration, Berry stated that she has never abused Maceo in any way and described herself as a survivor of domestic violence who helps other victims.
Her 18-year-old daughter Nahla Aubrey, whom she shares with former partner Gabriel Aubrey, has filed her own statement backing her mother. Nahla, who has lived with Berry and Maceo for almost his whole life, called Berry a “loving and devoted parent” and said she had never seen her hit, slap, choke or grab her brother.
Martinez’s lawyer told People that the claim of manipulation is false, that Maceo is the primary victim, and that Berry’s opposition suggests she is worried about what he might say. Earlier filings argue that denying the boy a chance to be heard could discourage him from reporting problems in future. Martinez has filed for sole custody, reopening a dispute that dates back to the couple’s separation in 2015, and the court has yet to rule on whether Maceo will testify.
