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Halle Berry says she is a domestic violence victim and is denying allegations that she abused her 13-year-old son, Maceo, during an ongoing custody dispute with her ex-husband, Olivier Martinez.
According to TMZ, Berry made the claims in a court filing responding to Martinez’s allegations that she put Maceo in a headlock and choked him during a September 26 confrontation.
As BIN previously reported, a judge granted Martinez a temporary restraining order on Thursday (October 1) that changed Berry’s custody and visitation arrangement with their son. The order followed Martinez’s allegations about the incident.
Berry gave a different account of what happened, saying she went into Maceo’s room while he was playing a virtual reality game and told him to stop. After she began recording him, Maceo took her phone, and Berry said they began “playfully roughhousing.”
Berry denied putting her hands around Maceo’s neck, choking him or restricting his breathing. She also disputed Martinez’s claim that she told their son, “Who is dominant now?”
Berry said she has a timestamped video that supports her version of the encounter.
According to TMZ, Berry said Maceo pushed her during the confrontation before her fiancé, Van Hunt, intervened. She said Maceo left for Martinez’s home without visible marks on his body or neck.
“I would never hurt our child,” Berry said in the filing.
Berry also said she has been abused by an ex, though she did not identify the person, and described herself as a domestic violence victim and advocate.
Her daughter, Nahla Aubry, also submitted a declaration disputing Martinez’s claim that Berry made racially charged comments about him, according to TMZ.
The temporary restraining order was amended to clarify that Berry retains final decision-making authority over Maceo’s mental health and education until an October 16 hearing.
Martinez has denied Berry’s characterization of his handling of Maceo’s mental health care, accusing her of “deliberately” misrepresenting his actions, according to TMZ.
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