Kevin Costner’s lawsuits span an active sexual harassment case brought by a stunt double on his Horizon saga, unpaid-vendor claims and a financing arbitration tied to the same franchise, and older matters including his divorce from Christine Baumgartner, a partnership fight with longtime producer Jim Wilson, a suit from actor Stephen Baldwin over an oil-spill cleanup deal, and a profit-participation dispute over Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The current cases sit against a backdrop of heavy personal investment in Horizon and a disappointing box office for its first chapter.
Devyn LaBella’s Sexual Harassment Suit
Stunt performer Devyn LaBella sued Costner, his production company Territory Pictures, and the Horizon production entity in Los Angeles Superior Court in May 2025. LaBella was the lead stunt double for actress Ella Hunt on Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2. The complaint alleges that on May 2, 2023, on a Utah set, Costner directed an unscripted and unscheduled simulated rape scene in which actor Roger Ivens climbed on top of LaBella in a wagon and pulled up her skirt, without her prior knowledge, consent, or preparation.
According to the complaint, Hunt had refused to perform the scene and LaBella was brought in as a stand-in without being told. The scene was not on the call sheet, no rehearsal occurred, no intimacy coordinator was present, and the footage was visible on monitors to the full crew. SAG-AFTRA rules require written consent through a rider provided at least 48 hours before call time for simulated sex scenes, along with a closed set and an intimacy coordinator. LaBella’s amended June 2025 complaint contains ten causes of action, including sexual harassment, sex discrimination, retaliation, breach of contract for the alleged SAG-AFTRA violations, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.
Costner’s Defense
Costner’s attorney Marty Singer called the allegations “patently false” and the suit a “shakedown” aimed at a “massive and unjustified payday.” Costner denied it was a rape scene or simulated sex, describing it as “one artistic shot designed to imply what was going to happen off-screen.” The defense submitted declarations from crew members. Ivens called the complaint’s description “false and sensationalist.” Stunt coordinator Wade Allen said the scene involved “no intimacy, no nudity, no sexual conduct or sexual movement of any kind,” and stated LaBella gave a “thumbs up” before and after the run-through. Costner’s team also produced a text message LaBella sent her supervisor after filming that the defense characterized as “gratitude gushing.”
Where the Case Stands
Costner moved to dismiss under California’s anti-SLAPP law, which shields speech and creative expression. On October 16, 2025, Judge Jon Takasugi denied the motion in large part. He agreed that the Horizon films are expressive work protected by the First Amendment, but found LaBella’s allegations “not frivolous” and sufficient to proceed. The judge wrote that evidence could establish LaBella had been subjected to an “unplanned and unrehearsed simulated rape scene” without proper safety protocols, which could support a hostile-work-environment finding.
Takasugi dismissed two of the ten claims: a Bane Act claim, because no threats of physical violence were alleged, and one of two sexual harassment counts, because the statute cited applied only to harassment outside the workplace. Eight claims survived. On October 30, 2025, Costner’s attorneys filed a notice of appeal. Singer said the appeal would likely delay proceedings by “a year or more.” LaBella’s attorneys have said they intend to move into discovery and depose witnesses from the set.
Horizon Vendor Suits
Two costume houses have sued the Horizon production over unpaid fees.
Western Costume Company, based in North Hollywood, filed a breach-of-contract suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on December 22, 2025. The company alleged the Chapter 2 production failed to pay agreed rates for costume rentals and failed to return costumes undamaged. Invoices in the complaint totaled roughly $134,000 in rentals, with total damages sought of about $440,000 including attorney’s fees, accrued interest, and punitive damages.
Earlier in 2025, United Costume Corp. sued the production for $350,000 in unpaid fees tied to the first two chapters. That case was dismissed with prejudice by the plaintiff two months later, indicating a resolution or settlement.
The City National Bank and New Line Arbitration
The Horizon franchise is also caught in a financing arbitration. City National Bank, a bondholder on the project, brought arbitration against New Line Cinema, the distributor, and Horizon Series Inc., Costner’s loan-out company, alleging breaches of the co-financing agreement for Chapter 1. New Line filed a crossclaim against Horizon Series, arguing it had been forced to cover portions of financing that Costner’s company failed to repay. As of 2026, the arbitration remains pending with no publicly reported resolution.
The financial stakes explain the dispute. Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 carried a roughly $100 million production budget and earned about $38.8 million worldwide after its June 2024 release, with an $11 million opening weekend. Costner has said his personal investment in the franchise exceeds $50 million, and he mortgaged his Santa Barbara estate to help fund it.
The Divorce From Christine Baumgartner
Costner’s divorce from Christine Baumgartner, his wife of 18 years, ran through Santa Barbara County Superior Court in 2023 and 2024. Baumgartner filed in May 2023. The couple had signed a prenuptial agreement in 2004, and Baumgartner challenged its validity, arguing she had not fully understood the terms and felt pressured to sign. Costner alleged she refused to vacate his Carpinteria beachfront compound in violation of a clause requiring her to leave within 30 days of a filing, and a judge ultimately ordered her out.
Child support was the other flashpoint. Baumgartner requested $248,000 per month; a judge set support at about $63,000 per month plus additional expenses for the couple’s three children. Baumgartner also requested $885,000 in legal fees, which Costner’s team called “outrageous.” Costner had already paid at least $300,000 toward her fees. The parties reached a settlement in September 2023 described as a “mutually agreed upon resolution of all issues.” The divorce was finalized on February 16, 2024. Under the prenup, Costner paid Baumgartner $1.2 million plus $200,000 toward a new home, and the parents share joint custody.
The Jim Wilson Partnership Suit
In January 2021, Costner sued longtime producing partner Jim Wilson for $15 million in Los Angeles Superior Court. Wilson had produced Dances with Wolves, The Bodyguard, and The Postman with Costner. The dispute involved Good Ones Productions, a company Costner founded in 1992. Costner wanted to wind the company down and move its assets to his production company, Tig Productions, but alleged Wilson refused to sign over his stock and demanded $500,000 to relinquish his interest.
The complaint accused Wilson of conversion, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and unjust enrichment, and named Wilson’s personal attorney, Zeke Lopez, as a defendant for allegedly taking company documents. Costner argued Wilson had not done business with him in more than 12 years and held no active role in the company. In addition to the $15 million, Costner sought return of a $1 million loan he had made to Good Ones Productions.
The Stephen Baldwin BP Oil Spill Suit
Costner spent more than 15 years developing centrifugal oil-water separation devices through a company called Ocean Therapy Solutions. After the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, BP placed a $52 million order for 32 centrifuge units, with an $18 million advance deposit.
In December 2010, actor Stephen Baldwin and his business partner Spyridon Contogouris sued Costner and his partner Patrick Smith in federal court in New Orleans. They alleged they had been induced to sell their shares in Ocean Therapy Solutions just before the BP deal closed, without being told about the deposit or the binding purchase commitment. Contogouris said he received $1.4 million for a 28% stake he valued at about $10.4 million; Baldwin said he received $500,000 for a 10% stake he valued at about $3.8 million. Together they sought more than $21 million in damages. Costner’s defense argued he played no role in the plaintiffs’ decision to sell and that neither had invested money in the company. Trial took place in June 2012 before U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman, and Costner testified that he had spent years developing the technology and denied any deception.
The Robin Hood Profit Participation Dispute
Costner also pursued a long-running fight with Morgan Creek Productions over profit participation from the 1991 hit Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. He filed in California state court, alleging he received no participation statements for the film in 2010 and 2011, and that statements from 2004 to 2009 arrived late. He accused Morgan Creek of improper accounting and of assigning distribution rights for 41 films, including Robin Hood, to its international arm, Inverness Distribution Limited.
The case became tangled when Inverness entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Morgan Creek asked a bankruptcy judge to suspend Costner’s state suit, arguing Inverness was the real responsible party and that Costner’s claims could affect the bankruptcy estate. Morgan Creek’s filings identified $12.5 million withdrawn from Inverness’s bank account “without accounting for any royalties or other amounts owed Costner,” acknowledging some of that sum was likely derived from Robin Hood.