Actress Halle Berry’s son Maceo allowed to testify in custody battle with ex-husband Olivier Martinez

Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez’s 13-year-old son, Maceo, has been permitted to testify in proceedings regarding Martinez’s request for a home violence restraining order in opposition to the actress.

According to court docket paperwork obtained by TMZ, his testimony shall be “limited to the request for the issuance of a restraining order”.

The choose directed that Maceo testify in a closed courtroom, with solely the events, their legal professionals and court docket personnel current. Martinez alleges that Berry attacked their son throughout an argument over a digital actuality online game, putting her fingers round his neck and choking him. Berry denies hurting Maceo. Martinez is looking for sole custody and an order requiring Berry to remain away.

Berry opposed permitting their son to testify, alleging that Martinez had coached him. In her response to the restraining order utility, she additionally questioned whether or not Maceo’s account might be handled as dependable. She argued that he had a “personal interest in minimizing his own conduct and shifting responsibility to others”.

Berry additional alleged that Martinez had concerned Maceo in grownup disputes for years, making a parenting dynamic by which she enforced guidelines whereas he allowed their son extra freedom. She stated this had led Maceo to view her because the “bad guy” and Martinez because the “good guy” for granting him “greater autonomy”.

Berry expressed concern that his testimony may replicate “perceptions developed over time” relatively than an correct account of the disputed incident. The determination permitting Maceo to testify doesn’t decide the underlying allegations.