REUTERS/Danny MoloshokActress Halle Berry and model Gabriel Aubry pose as they arrive at the 2009 Vanity Fair Oscar PartyHalle Berry has secured the help of fellow actress Salma Hayek in a bitter custody battle over her 4-year-old daughter.
Hallle Berry, 46, is currently in the midst of a severe custody battle with ex Gabriel Aubry over their 4-year-old daughter. Berry has insisted that her daughter be allowed to move with her to Paris, where she hopes to live with her fiancé, Parisian actor Olivier Martinez.
Aubry, however, refuses to allow his daughter to leave the country, stating that she is best off being raised in her Malibu home. To improve her odds, Berry how now secured the help of actress Salma Hayek, who has lived in Paris over the past few years with husband and French billionaire François-Henri Pinault.
Hayek has allegedly been asked to testify that France is "a much safer place for a celebrity because of tougher paparazzi laws" according to TMZ. In court on Thursday, Berry was denied the right to have her personal lawyer of 20 years present in the courtroom for emotional support.
Stephen Kolodny, Berry's custody attorney, argued that the "very emotional litigation" was difficult for the actress and could be eased by additional support, but Aubry's lawyer argued that it was unnecessary.
"Providing comfort is not necessary," Aubry's lawyer responded. "I understand it's uncomfortable. But my client is not here with his best friends and buddies."
The couple's daughter, Nahla, was born in 2008 before the stars went their separate ways in 2010. Nahla's former nanny has testified that in the past, Aubry has exhibited aggressive behavior.
"(He) violently pushed me, while I had Nahla in my arms, against both my shoulders with both of his hands," she stated when seeking a restraining order after a dispute between the two had erupted. "I got away with Nahla as quickly as I could. When I returned to the home of Ms. Berry I sobbed with fear."
It is expected that the court trial could go on for the next several days.
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