Kevin Costner and his estranged wife Christine have negotiated an apparent hasty divorce settlement, leaving many wondering what might have accelerated the arrangement.
"Kevin and Christine Costner have reached an amicable and mutually agreed upon resolution of all issues pertaining to their divorce proceedings," a spokeswoman for Kevin tells PEOPLE in a joint statement for the former couple on Tuesday.
The unexpected change of events comes in the wake of the couple's protracted legal struggle following Christine's divorce filing on May 1.
PEOPLE spoke with David Glass, a California-based family law attorney and former psychologist, who claimed money, as well as an unflattering spotlight on the couple's fighting, were likely major considerations.
"People go to court, and if one party does not do well, which Mrs. Costner did not do well, she receives one-third of the (child) support she requested."
She did not receive her fees award. She was informed that the prenuptial agreement will be honored. Then she asks herself, "Do I really want to go through the rest of this?" Glass makes observations.
"For Kevin," he goes on, "it's most likely just a money situation." How much will it cost him to go all the way to trial? "How much time, how much stress, how much distraction from his career and his children,
versus how much he could pay to be done with it?" In late August, the media spotlight grew even brighter as a two-day child support hearing in Santa Barbara dragged on,
where Kevin was forced to detail his earnings in projects like Yellowstone and Christine made headlines as her lawyer argued that luxury was in their children's "DNA at this point."
"Most celebrity or high-profile clients go to their attorneys, who explain, 'Listen, we should settle this because you don't want any of this in the news.'" "You have two options: settle it or go to a private judge to keep it out of the news cycle," adds the attorney.
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