Linda Evangelista Child-Support Case Grows Ugly

By Stephen M. Silverman

05/04/2012 at 11:30 AM EDT

And the claims are flying.

The lawyer for supermodel Linda Evangelista, who is seeking $46,000 in monthly child-support payments for her 5-year-old son Augie with French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, reportedly asserted in a Manhattan family courtroom Thursday that Pinault "suggested she terminate the pregnancy."

Speaking in court, Pinault – since 2009 the husband of Salma Hayek – said he was "not involved in the decision" to have the child, but assured Evangelista he would "recognize the baby," reports New York's Daily News.

His lawyer later denied the claim that Pinault suggested the pregnancy be terminated.

RELATED: Salma Hayek's Husband Speaks Out About Child-Support Case

In the first day that the case was heard by a support magistrate, reports the New York Post, Evangelista's attorney William Beslow said that her response to Pinault's abortion idea was, "She would support the child herself, since he had made it perfectly clear to her that he had no interest in doing so."

A source close to Pinault later said of the abortion claim: "It's false. It's defamatory and frankly, it's disgusting." The source adds the claim also "could be extremely damaging to Augie."

Beslow also stated that the supermodel, 46, has shouldered the expenses for the child, named Augustin, for most of his life, and that her nearly $1.8 million-a-year deal with L'Oreal ended last year.

According to the Post, the $46,000 a month being requested would include up to $16,000 for armed ex-NYPD detective chauffeurs and nanny fees totaling about $7,000.