CARPINTERIA, CALIFORNIA: Hollywood actor Kevin Costner was reportedly upset with a tech mogul tenant who "hung out" with his ex-wife, Christine Baumgartner. The actor, 68, discovered his estranged wife, 49, had been frequently spending time with Daniel Starr while he was away filming.
A heated argument turned into a court battle when Costner and Baumgartner attempted to evict Starr from their over $60,000-a-month beachfront guest house. However, Starr, who agreed to a 12-month lease in June 2022, insisted he had done nothing wrong and would not move, setting off a barrage of emails and legal documents, The Sun reported.
Baumgartner, a handbag designer, recently filed for divorce from her husband of 19 years. Costner claimed last week that she left him "homeless" by refusing to let go of their over $100M home in Carpinteria, California.
Who is Daniel Starr?
Starr is a seasoned technology businessman, real estate developer, philanthropist, father and animal lover. He founded the video game streaming business GameMine, a subscription-based gaming platform that offers developing markets all over the world thousands of the best mobile games. Since 2013, he has purchased and developed a number of expensive homes in Southern California, including a run-down Beverly Hills house that he purchased, rebuilt, and then sold to Rihanna for around $14M, as per Dirt.
'He became close friends with Chris and Kevin'
Speaking about the tiff between the ex-couple and Starr, sources reportedly said, "Daniel was really happy living in the house. It’s right on the beach and he has a four-year-old son who he wanted to feel settled. After he moved in he became close friends with Chris and Kevin. They’d hang out together with their kids. But Kevin was always away filming, so Chris must have been lonely," adding, "Chris and Daniel hung out a lot. She would come into his house almost daily. But there was a fallout and Kevin got wind of it. There was a row between him and Daniel and things escalated from there."
'Kevin hit the roof'
As per sources, 42-year-old Starr was a "respectful guy" who did not cross any boundaries. They stated, "Chris didn’t like Daniel’s attitude towards their friendship. She texted him and said she wanted him out." In his first six months after he started renting the home, Starr made an effort to diffuse the situation. Sources said, "He loved living there and felt he’d done nothing wrong. That’s when he brought his lawyer in."
According to an insider, Starr got along well with all of Costner's children, particularly his eldest son Joe, 35. They further said, "Daniel thought really highly of Kevin and thought he was an excellent father to his kids. But Kevin hit the roof and sided with his wife. Ultimately, he wasn’t willing to hear Daniel out." The tech entrepreneur eventually left in March, reducing his lease by three months.
