‘X-Men’ Star Halle Berry Says a Photo Taken by Her Son Doesn’t Back Up Olivier Martinez’s Abuse Claims in Escalating Custody Fight
Celebrity custody disputes usually play out behind closed doors, but when court filings become public, the details can spread quickly. The case involving Halle Berry and her ex, Olivier Martinez, has become one of those stories. At the heart of it is a 13-year-old boy, and the court has not made any finding about what happened.
The 2 have been co-parenting their son, Maceo, under a joint custody arrangement since their divorce was finalized in 2023, following an 8-year legal battle. That arrangement is now under strain. Martinez filed for sole custody roughly 2 weeks ago, alleging that Berry physically abused Maceo during an alleged altercation at her home on September 26.
In new court documents obtained by TMZ, Berry is pushing back on a central piece of Martinez’s case: a photo he says Maceo took of her after the incident. She says the picture does not prove she did anything wrong.
In new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Halle fires back at Olivier’s claim that their 13-year-old son Maceo snapped the picture to prove "something happened" during last month’s alleged physical altercation. https://t.co/V4FZxtqax4
— TMZ (@TMZ) October 13, 2026
According to the filing, Berry describes the photo as showing her standing calmly with her hands in her pockets, several feet away from Maceo. She says there is no picture showing any bruising, redness or injury to the boy to support the claim that she harmed him. Martinez has reportedly argued that the photo helps show that something happened between mother and son.
Berry also defends her boyfriend, Van Hunt, who said in an earlier declaration that he did not notice any marks on Maceo. She says Martinez is twisting those words to suggest Hunt inspected the boy for injuries, when he simply said he did not see any. She also accuses Martinez of cherry-picking messages and leaving out key details to make her look bad.
Martinez has claimed that Maceo said Berry harmed him during an argument over a virtual reality game. Berry has denied the allegation, saying she and her son were roughhousing before things went wrong. She has said she would never hurt her child.
Berry’s attorney, Marina Beck, has described Martinez’s filing as entirely meritless and deliberately misleading. Her side also claims that Martinez has repeatedly violated court orders and interfered with therapeutic and educational interventions for their son. Martinez disputes that, and he has called Berry’s emergency filing retaliatory.
In his latest filing, Martinez says Maceo wants to testify and speak directly to the judge about his custody preferences and what allegedly happened. He argues that the teenager deserves to tell his side before the court makes any further decisions. He has also claimed that Maceo feared no one would believe him, which is why the photo was taken.
How a court should weigh a child’s wishes is one of the most sensitive questions in family law. Judges typically consider a child’s age, maturity and the circumstances before deciding whether and how to hear from them. No ruling on that request has been reported.
Martinez obtained a temporary restraining order against Berry earlier this month, and Berry responded with an emergency filing on October 5 asking the court to restore the 50-50 arrangement. After her response, the judge amended the order to make clear that Berry maintains final decision-making authority over Maceo’s mental health and education. Berry has also completed a court-mandated parenting program, according to reports.
Importantly, none of the claims have been proven, and no court has found that Berry abused her son. The parents are due back in court on Friday, when more may be decided. Until then, the competing accounts remain just that: accounts presented in filings.
Stories like this one can quickly become a spectator sport, but there is a young person at the center of it. The documents describe a family going through a painful, long-running dispute, and the details being aired publicly are ones that most families would hope to keep private. It is a reason to treat the claims carefully and to remember that they are still being tested in court.
For now, both sides are making their cases through attorneys and filings. Berry’s team says the allegations do not hold up, while Martinez’s side says the child’s account deserves to be heard.
What should be the biggest priority for a judge in a custody dispute like this?
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