Halle Berry loses custody ground in reported court ruling

OK, citing Martinez’s lawyer Patrick Baghdaserians, reported that Berry’s request to restore 50/50 custody was denied. Baghdaserians called the ruling a “huge victory” for Martinez after the judge reviewed evidence about the exes’ parenting styles.

Berry did not walk away empty-handed. According to the same report, the judge granted her request to dissolve the domestic violence restraining order that had become part of the dispute. Her attorney, Marina Beck, said in a statement that Berry remains focused on “the well-being and best interests of her family.”

That split result matters. On the question that most directly governs daily life, where the child is primarily placed and whether Berry can have overnight visits, the reported ruling plainly favors Martinez. Berry’s side, though, said she still retains joint legal custody, meaning she remains involved in major decisions about Maceo’s upbringing.

The case turned public in especially ugly terms when Martinez sought a temporary restraining order and accused Berry of being violent toward their son. OK reported that he alleged she grabbed Maceo by the neck and choked him during an argument. Berry has denied the allegation, and her legal team argued it was an attempt to gain an advantage in the custody dispute.

That distinction is worth keeping clear because celebrity family cases have a way of turning accusation into assumed fact before a court has finished sorting through it. What can be said from this report is narrower and harder: the restraining order was dissolved, but the custody result still went strongly Martinez’s way.

Martinez had also argued that Maceo should be allowed to address the court directly. OK reported that both Maceo and his therapist had opportunities to speak during closed-door proceedings at Los Angeles Superior Court held over multiple days this month.

Closed proceedings leave the public with fragments, mostly statements from lawyers and selective descriptions of what the judge did. But one fragment is concrete enough on its own: Berry’s bid to get back to 50/50 custody was denied, and Martinez reportedly emerged with primary custody.