Halle (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – October 19, 2026 – A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled that the 13-year-old son of Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry and French actor Olivier Martinez will be permitted to testify in court. The testimony will be strictly limited to Martinez’s application for a domestic violence restraining order following an alleged incident in September. Berry had opposed the motion, citing concerns over potential parental coaching, whilst Martinez maintained the child should have his voice heard in court.
A judge presiding over the Los Angeles Superior Court family division has granted permission for Maceo, the 13-year-old son of Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez, to give evidence in an upcoming court hearing connected to the former couple’s ongoing legal custody fight.
The judicial ruling establishes that the adolescent’s testimony will be strictly confined to Martinez’s application for a domestic violence restraining order (DVRO). Under the terms specified by Judge Kaufman, the testimony is scheduled to take place within a closed courtroom. Attendance during the child’s statement will be restricted exclusively to the presiding judicial officer, legal representation for both sides, essential court personnel, and the parents.
The current legal proceedings stem from a reported incident that occurred on 26 September at Berry’s residence. Following the disagreement, Martinez submitted court filings requesting a restraining order alongside an application seeking sole legal and physical custody of their child.
On 1 October, a temporary restraining order was issued by the court, altering the established physical custody and visitation schedule. The temporary order reduced Berry’s regular parenting access to designated days on Mondays and Tuesdays, alongside alternate weekends, while establishing a requirement for distance relative to Martinez.
In court documents filed by Martinez’s legal team, the French actor asserted that Maceo should be permitted to describe the events of 26 September directly to the court. Martinez contended in a written declaration that the adolescent ought to be afforded an opportunity to speak regarding his personal experience of the disputed event. Martinez’s counsel stated publicly that victims of alleged abuse should be permitted to offer testimony regarding reported events, adding that the child represents the primary party affected in the dispute.
Berry’s legal team formally opposed the application to have the 13-year-old testify in open court or chambers. In court responses filed prior to the ruling, Berry alleged that Martinez had spent weeks discussing the legal case with their son, arguing that such conversations violated a prior court mandate from 2024 prohibiting both parents from involving the child in ongoing legal matters.
Berry raised concerns that the minor child had been subjected to coaching and manipulation, asserting that direct testimony from the teenager could be influenced by discussions with his father. Berry argued that sufficient evidence and third-party statements were available to the court without requiring direct minor testimony, referencing video footage and written declarations from other individuals present during the timeframe, including her fiancé, musician Van Hunt.
Berry’s 18-year-old daughter, Nahla Aubry, whom Berry shares with former partner Gabriel Aubry, submitted a sworn legal declaration to the court in support of her mother. In her statement, Aubry described Berry as a supportive and dedicated parent, stating that she had never witnessed abusive behaviour toward either child in the household.
Berry has strenuously denied all allegations of physical abuse or wrongdoing regarding her son. In her filed declaration, Berry stated that she has never physically, emotionally, or otherwise abused her child, describing herself as a survivor of domestic violence who works to support victims rather than inflict harm. Berry’s legal team maintained that physical evidence directly refutes the claims raised by Martinez, characterising the physical interaction in question as non-abusive roughhousing.
In issuing the order permitting the limited testimony, the court included explicit instructions that the minor child must not be coached prior to or during the proceedings. The judge indicated that any additional evidentiary or custody matters outside the immediate scope of the domestic violence restraining order request will be considered only after the conclusion of the specific restraining order hearing.
Berry and Martinez married in 2013 and initiated divorce proceedings in 2015. The former couple finalised their divorce in August 2023 following an eight-year court process, at which point they agreed to a joint 50/50 legal and physical custody arrangement for Maceo. Court records indicate that Berry recently completed a court-mandated parenting program amidst the ongoing filings, with her legal team requesting the full restoration of the prior equal joint custody schedule once the immediate proceedings are resolved.
