Olivier Martinez asks Halle Berry to foot his $240,000 legal bill

Halle Berry's ex Olivier Martinez wants the star to pay the legal fees he incurred during their custody battle over their son Maceo.

The exes went to court over the fate of the 13-year-old after Martinez accused Berry of physically abusing the child.

Berry has denied the allegations.

Last week, a judge granted Martinez primary physical custody of their son and dissolved a temporary restraining order the actor had filed against Berry on behalf of himself and Maceo.

Now the actor has asked the court to order Berry to pay the mounting legal bills he faces.

Court documents obtained by The Daily Mail reveal Martinez filed a request to order Berry to pay $240,000 (£178,000) in legal fees, claiming he lacks the means to pay his counsel.

"While Petitioner and I are both actors, our respective incomes and access to assets vastly differ," he noted in the documents.

According to his income and expense declaration, last month, Martinez earned $288.33 (£214) in residual payments.

Martinez claimed he was initially hopeful to resolve their issues informally during a two-day settlement conference but instead "a lengthy trial ensued".

The documents cite Family Code 2030, a law that grants the court the ability to order one party with financial means to pay the legal fees and associated court costs of the opposing party.