The courtroom fell silent as the teenager walked in. On Monday, Halle Berry's 13-year-old son Maceo took the witness stand in Los Angeles Superior Court — and stayed there for nearly four hours — in the middle of his mother's explosive legal war with ex-husband Olivier Martinez.
It was the kind of moment nobody expected to play out in public, and the hearing is still far from over.
An 'Icy' Hearing and a 4-Hour Testimony
According to Page Six, Judge Shelley Kaufman called Maceo to the stand first and cleared the courtroom so his testimony would remain sealed. The 13-year-old, dressed casually in a graphic T-shirt, shorts and Crocs, spoke for nearly four hours.
Berry, 60, sat in court with her legal team and her fiancé, Van Hunt, looking worried and anxious at times, witnesses said. Martinez arrived with Maceo and his own attorneys — and the atmosphere between the two exes was described as “icy,” with each side reportedly trading glares.
During the lunch break, Maceo appeared relaxed and happy chatting with his father, according to onlookers. He did not engage with his mother at court.
Why the Case Got Here
The hearing centers on a domestic violence restraining order request Martinez filed earlier this month, accusing Berry of abusing their son. A judge granted a temporary order on Oct. 1, and Berry lost her 50/50 daytime custody of Maceo.
Berry has forcefully denied the allegations. In a court declaration, the Oscar winner said she is “not a perpetrator of violence” and “would never hurt our child,” calling herself a victim of domestic violence who helps other victims.
Her attorney Marina Beck went further, telling Entertainment Weekly the filing was “entirely meritless and deliberately misleading,” and pointed to prior court sanctions against Martinez for violating court orders.
Berry Urged the Court Not to Let Him Testify
The fact that Maceo testified at all is itself dramatic. Berry had previously urged the court not to allow her son to take the stand, claiming he was being “coached and manipulated” by his father.
The judge allowed the sealed testimony anyway — a decision that put a child at the center of a case that was already one of Hollywood's most bitter custody battles. Berry and Martinez were married for just two years before separating in October 2015, but their divorce took eight more years to finalize.
Her Daughter Nahla Could Testify Next
The next twist could come from inside Berry's own family. Her 18-year-old daughter Nahla, whom she shares with model Gabriel Aubry, has been listed as a potential witness and could testify virtually since she is currently attending school.
Nahla has already defended her mother once. In a court declaration, she wrote she has “never witnessed my mother hit, slap, choke, grab, or physically abuse Maceo in any way,” and called her a “loving and devoted parent.”
With the hearing set to continue on Tuesday, all eyes are on the courtroom — and on whether one of Hollywood's longest-running custody wars finally reaches a breaking point.
