Oscar winner Halle Berry’s ex-husband has asked a Los Angeles court to keep her away from their 12-year-old son, alleging in a restraining order filing that she choked the boy during an argument at her home last week.
Olivier Martinez filed the temporary restraining order Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, accusing Berry of jumping on their son, Maceo, putting her hands around his neck and choking him on Sept. 26, according to court documents reported by TMZ and Page Six. The allegations have not been proven. No criminal charges have been reported.
Martinez claims the confrontation began while Maceo was playing a virtual-reality game in his bedroom. Berry, he says, entered the room, called the boy “so stupid” and “such an idiot,” then jumped on him and began physically fighting with him. He alleges she grabbed Maceo by the neck and choked him while shouting, “Who is dominant now?!” Berry’s fiancé, musician Van Hunt, was present, according to the filing.
Martinez says Maceo called him in a panic that day and asked him to “come pick [him] up right now.” Text messages included in the filing show the boy later writing, “Are u here please come,” Page Six reported.
The same day, Martinez alleges, Berry threatened to have Maceo deported to France.
The day after the alleged incident, Berry texted Martinez, “I feel terrible about what happened last night as I know he does as well,” according to TMZ’s account of the documents.
Martinez describes the Sept. 26 episode as part of a longer pattern. He alleges that over the past year and a half Berry has wrestled Maceo to the ground and forced him to “tap out.” He also claims that in 2023, during a dispute over child support, Berry told their son that Martinez was “a white bitch trying to rob a black woman” and asked Maceo, “How do you feel about that as a black man?”
The filing also references older incidents involving Martinez himself. He alleges Berry struck him in the face about five years ago and, roughly a decade ago, threw a plate with a knife and fork on it during an outburst. He raises concerns about Berry’s alcohol use and asks the court to bar her from drinking or being under the influence around Maceo, and to require sobriety testing before, during or after any visitation.
Martinez is seeking sole custody and a stay-away order covering both him and their son. TMZ reported that he does not want Maceo to lose a relationship with Berry, only space after the alleged incident.
Representatives for Berry had not immediately responded to requests for comment from Page Six. Berry has not publicly addressed the filing.
Berry, 60, and Martinez, a French actor, married in 2013 and split in 2015. They share Maceo, born Oct. 5, 2013. Berry also has an 18-year-old daughter, Nahla, with former partner Gabriel Aubry. The former couple have been in court over Maceo’s upbringing for years. In 2024, Berry sought sole legal custody and told the court she had spent more than $200,000 trying to co-parent, accusing Martinez of refusing to cooperate on major decisions involving their son.
