Berry-Martinez Custody Battle Stretches Into Second Week as TRO Holds

What began as a single emergency filing has evolved into one of the more prolonged and closely watched custody proceedings in recent Hollywood memory, with Halle Berry and her ex-husband Olivier Martinez returning to Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles for a fifth consecutive day of hearings on Friday — and no end yet in sight. A temporary domestic violence restraining order against Berry remains in effect through the weekend, with proceedings now formally scheduled to resume next week.

Van Hunt Takes the Stand

Friday's session introduced a new voice into the proceedings: Berry's fiancé, Van Hunt, 56, who took the stand following a midday recess. Like much of the testimony in this case, his appearance was conducted behind closed doors, shielding the specifics from public record. According to Page Six, Hunt appeared visibly relieved as he exited the courtroom alone around 4 p.m., though he was later observed in lighter spirits, laughing with a member of Berry's legal team in the hallway. Berry, 60, was seen offering a quiet moment of reassurance — gently rubbing Hunt's arm — before departing the courthouse with her attorneys.

The Contradiction at the Heart of Martinez's Case

The dramatic hinge of Thursday's proceedings continued to reverberate into Friday's session. Martinez, 60, had been confronted during cross-examination with a sworn declaration he signed in September 2024 — under penalty of perjury — in which he stated the former couple had no history of domestic violence. When Berry's attorney Marina Beck pressed him directly on whether that statement was accurate at the time of signing, Martinez confirmed it was. The moment carried significant weight given that his entire petition rests on painting Berry's alleged conduct as part of a longstanding pattern of abuse. Martinez's sworn statement became one of the sharpest tools in Beck's cross-examination, and it is likely to remain central as the case proceeds.

Martinez's attorney Patrick Baghdaserians sought to contextualize the statement, explaining it was filed in connection with a financial request for need-based attorney's fees rather than as a comprehensive account of their domestic history. The distinction may matter legally, but it does little to soften the optics of a petitioner whose own documented words complicate his current claims.

What's at Stake for Both Parents

The proceedings stem from Martinez's allegation that Berry choked their 13-year-old son, Maceo, during an incident at her home on September 26th. A judge subsequently granted Berry a temporary loss of primary custody, significantly curtailing her time with the teenager while the case is heard. Berry has vigorously denied any wrongdoing, with her legal team characterizing Martinez's allegations as meritless and misleading.

Berry has petitioned the court for sole legal custody of Maceo, framing the request around her desire to maintain oversight of his education, therapy, and medical care — areas her attorneys allege Martinez has actively interfered with. She has also asked the court to reinstate the previously agreed-upon 50/50 physical custody arrangement and to dismiss the restraining order entirely.

The couple, whose relationship and subsequent marriage in 2013 was among the more publicly scrutinized of Berry's personal life, separated just two years after Maceo's birth, finalizing their divorce after years of negotiation in 2023.

Nahla Aubry Expected Monday

Perhaps the most anticipated testimony still to come belongs to Nahla Aubry, Berry's 18-year-old daughter from her earlier relationship with model Gabriel Aubry. Nahla is scheduled to testify virtually when the hearing resumes Monday, having already submitted a written declaration asserting she has never witnessed her mother abuse Maceo. Her live testimony, even conducted remotely, represents another significant chapter in a case that has already seen Maceo himself spend upward of four hours on the stand earlier in the week.

For Berry — an actress whose career has long been defined by the depth she brings to emotionally complex roles — the courtroom has become its own kind of stage, one where the stakes are far more personal than any performance.