Nahla Aubry Defends Halle Berry in Court Statement

Nahla Aubry (18), the daughter of actress Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry, filed a statement with the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 3 saying she has never seen her mother physically abuse her younger brother. People magazine obtained the statement, and we are drawing its contents from that outlet and from a translation published by Nova.rs.

It is the latest move in a dispute we covered when the actress spoke out herself. Her ex-husband Olivier Martinez is seeking full custody of their son, while Berry (60) denies the allegations and says she is the victim of domestic violence.

What does Martinez claim, and what has the court decided?

Martinez claims that on September 26 the actress physically attacked their 13-year-old son, and that there were other incidents of abuse in earlier years. On October 1 the court issued a temporary order limiting the time Berry spends with her son. Until the hearing on October 16, she sees him on Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Martinez told People that his first concern is his son’s health, well-being and safety, that the only thing driving the steps he is taking is a wish to protect the boy, and that he hopes the actress will take responsibility for everything that happened that night.

Berry’s attorney, Marina Beck, told Hello magazine that Martinez’s filing is completely unfounded and deliberately misleading.

What does Nahla Aubry say in her statement?

Nahla, who lives apart from her mother and is in college, describes Berry as a devoted parent who can be strict when needed. In the statement she says she has never seen her mother hit, slap, choke or grab her brother, put her hands around his neck, or restrict his breathing. By her account, she spent most of her brother’s life with him, and after the split from Martinez her mother arranged the children’s schedules so they could be together as much as possible.

On her mother’s parenting, she writes:

“I have never noticed anything violent in the way she raises us.”

Nahla also lists what her mother did day to day:

“She came to his games, drove him to practices and tournaments, and advocated for his education and his access to medical care and therapy. I have never doubted my mom’s love for me. She has always given me stability, support, guidance and unconditional love.”

She adds that she has never seen her mother throw a knife, a plate or any other object at anyone. She says she has watched her brother wrestle and laugh with their mother on the floor or on a bed many times, and never saw him hurt or in tears afterward.

What does she say about Martinez and the conversation after the incident?

Nahla also addressed Martinez in her statement. She wrote: “I remember Olivier beating up my father in the driveway of our house when I was little.” The claim concerns her father, Gabriel Aubry, with whom Berry was in a relationship until 2010. According to Nahla, the actress always encouraged the children to keep good relationships with their fathers.

She spoke with her mother and brother by phone on September 29, three days after the incident Martinez cites in his filing. By her account, her brother did not seem upset. Nahla adds: “I was shocked, very sad and very upset when I learned about Olivier’s accusations against my mom.”

She writes that she believes her brother loves their mother very much and is close to her, but that she has also seen him be rude, sometimes aggressive and unwilling to follow house rules. She says this is very upsetting to her, because she cares about her brother and worries about the effect the case is having on him and on his relationship with their mother. She has not spoken with him since the filing, because she does not know what she is allowed to do, but she would like to hear from him.

Berry’s attorneys declined to comment further on the case. Berry and Martinez were married from 2013 to 2015, and finalized their divorce in August 2023. The next step in the dispute is the hearing on October 16.