Halle Berry Says She Would Never Hurt Her Son Because She Survived Domestic Violence, And Her History With Abuse Goes Back Decades

Halle Berry is pointing to her own experience with domestic violence as she pushes back against allegations that she physically abused her son, adding deeply personal context to an already escalating custody battle with ex-husband Olivier Martinez.

In an October 5 declaration obtained by PEOPLE, Berry directly denied Martinez’s allegations involving their son Maceo and described herself as someone who has experienced domestic violence.

“I have never physically, emotionally, or otherwise abused Maceo. I am a victim of domestic violence, and I help victims of domestic violence,” Berry wrote.

The declaration marks a notable turn in the Halle Berry abuse dispute because her history with domestic violence is not a new claim created for the custody case. Berry has discussed violence in her childhood, an abusive adult relationship, and her work with domestic violence organizations for decades.

Martinez accused Berry of choking Maceo during a September 26 confrontation after the teenager had been playing a virtual reality game. Berry denies putting her hands around his neck, choking him or restricting his breathing.

Berry said the interaction began with the two “playfully roughhousing” after Maceo tried to take her phone. She also denied Martinez’s allegation that she yelled, “Who is dominant now?” According to Berry’s account, the interaction escalated while she was telling Maceo, “You don’t have anything to prove.”

Berry said she has timestamped video supporting her version of the encounter and maintained that Maceo had no marks on his neck or body when he left her home. Addressing the central accusation, she said, “I would never hurt our child.”

Martinez obtained a temporary restraining order and sought sole custody, according to the Los Angeles Times. The judge temporarily restricted Berry’s parenting time but denied Martinez’s request for sobriety testing because of insufficient information. Berry filed her response; the court clarified that she would retain final decision-making authority involving Maceo’s education and mental health pending an October 16 hearing.

Martinez has also disputed Berry’s characterization of his handling of their son’s care. He accused her of having “deliberately” misrepresented “my behavior where Maceo’s mental health treatment is concerned.”

Berry’s decision to invoke domestic violence carries a documented history.

More than 15 years ago, Berry publicly connected her adult relationships to what she witnessed growing up. In reporting on a domestic violence fundraiser, ESSENCE documented Berry saying she had repeated patterns she first saw between her parents. Describing one abusive adult relationship, Berry said, “I was in an abusive relationship and blood squirted on the ceiling of my apartment, and I lost 80% of my hearing.”

Berry has never publicly identified that former partner. The detail about her hearing loss has resurfaced repeatedly over the years, but she has consistently declined to name the person she said assaulted her.

Her childhood history is better documented. In 2015, Berry spoke about her connection to the Jenesse Center, a Los Angeles organization focused on domestic violence intervention and prevention. According to the Los Angeles Times, she explained, “I saw my mother battered and beaten many years of my life and I felt helpless.”

Berry said that experience continued affecting her long after childhood and explained that helping survivors through Jenesse was also part of confronting her own trauma. The organization currently identifies Berry as a Jenesse Ambassador on its official website.

She returned to that history while promoting her directorial debut, “Bruised.” In a 2021 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Berry said, “I grew up with a very abusive father who was alcoholic.” She recalled witnessing violence against her mother and sister as a child and said her mother placed her in therapy at age 10 because of what she had seen.

Berry discussed the same history again in a 2022 AARP interview, connecting her personal experiences to the domestic violence storyline in “Bruised.” She said, “Not only have I worked with a shelter for 25 years, but it’s how I grew up as a young child.”

That record matters in the current custody fight because Berry is not simply using the phrase domestic violence in the abstract. She has spent years publicly describing herself as someone shaped by violence both as a child who witnessed abuse and as an adult who says she later experienced it herself.