Kevin Costner accused his estranged ex-wife of 'planning her exit' with expensive personal purchases — including a new car — prior to serving the actor divorce papers

• Kevin Costner and his estranged wife are locked in a legal battle as their divorce proceeds.
• Costner's lawyers accused his ex of racking up expensive personal purchases before filing for divorce.

As Kevin Costner and his estranged wife squabble over which items she will be permitted to take from their beachside compound amid their divorce proceedings, the actor's lawyers argue she made expensive personal purchases for months in preparation for leaving him.

"Petitioner has shown a disturbing propensity in the last several months, both before and after separation, to take Respondent's property without his knowledge or consent, especially since this case was filed," the "Yellowstone" actor's lawyers argued in a Thursday filing reviewed by Insider.

Costner's lawyers say his ex, Christine Baumgartner, charged $25,000 in legal expenses to a credit card given to one of the family's employees for household expenses and took cash advances on the card without his knowledge.

Costner's legal team said in the filing that her actions show the handbag designer and former model had been preparing for divorce months before she told her husband — indicating she may have been aware that the terms of their prenup would become central to their separation proceedings.

According to the filing, months before announcing her intention to separate from her husband and without Costner's consent, Baumgartner purchased "an expensive vehicle for her personal use (probably because the PMA allows her to take that vehicle with her)."

The filing notes that the pair had previously leased their vehicles. It is unclear what type of vehicle Baumgartner purchased.

"Thus, it appears that Petitioner had been planning her exit long before she told Respondent in April 2023," Costner's lawyers argued in the document.

Lawyers for Costner and Baumgartner did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

The pre-marital agreement between the pair has been at the heart of their contentious divorce, requiring the courts to intervene after Baumgartner refused to vacate Costner's beachside property despite a clause in the prenup requiring her to leave within 30 days of filing for divorce.

A judge ruled Baumgartner must find a new place to live by the end of the month.