Judge acknowledges Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner's divorce settlement, marking the end of a summer of messy celebrity divorces

• Kevin Costner and his wife Christine Baumgartner reached a divorce settlement and avoided trial.
• Their contentious split was among the most dramatic of a summer heavy on divorces.
• But at a hearing Wednesday, not even the ex-couple's lawyers appeared for the judge's acknowledgment.

Kevin Costner and his wife of nearly 19 years, Christine Baumgartner, have quietly reached a settlement in their divorce — an acrimonious split that came to exemplify a summer rife with messy celebrity divorces.

On Wednesday afternoon, a judge in Santa Barbara County acknowledged the settlement at a hearing that neither the ex-couple nor their attorneys even attended. The terms of the settlement are not known. 

"Kevin and Christine Costner have come to an amicable and mutually agreed upon resolution of all issues pertaining to their divorce proceedings," the couple said in a joint statement released Tuesday by the actor's publicist, Arnold Robinson.

The agreement ends what had become a contentious court fight, and lets the couple avoid a trial that had been scheduled for December in a Santa Barbara County, California court.

Baumgartner filed for divorce in May.

The two had already fought in court over child support payments. After a two-day hearing in which both Costner, 68, and Baumgartner, 49, took the stand to testify, a judge on Sept. 8 ordered Costner to pay about $63,000 per month for their three children, People reported. Baumgartner had sought about $175,000 per month.

Costner and Baumgartner, a model and handbag designer, began dating in 1998 and married at his Colorado ranch in 2004.

They have two sons, ages 16 and 14, and a 12-year-old daughter together.

It was the second marriage for Costner, the Oscar and Emmy-winning star of TV's "Yellowstone" and films including "Dances With Wolves," "The Bodyguard" and "Bull Durham."

He also has four adult children from previous relationships.