The war between Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry over their baby is getting uglier — with close friends of Aubry claiming they “pity” the actress following a series of shocking, unsubstantiated claims about him.

The pair split last April and at first remained friendly for the sake of their daughter, Nahla, 3. Tensions rose when Aubry filed for joint custody, prompting allegations by unnamed sources that he reportedly once used a racial slur against Berry, 44, and that the actress “has serious concerns for her daughter’s well-being while with him.”

But a friend of Aubry told us, “This is clearly another example of a big star with a lot of money using everything in her power — including lies — to keep a loving father from his daughter. I pity her.”

PHOTOS: HALLE BERRY

His former business partner, Stephane Bibeau, told People that Aubry, 34, was a “vindictive guy” and “once they broke up, he became verbally threatening to Halle.”

Sources say Bibeau has harbored bitter feelings for Aubry ever since a falling-out out over an ill-fated joint New York restaurant venture, Cafe Fuego. One friend said, “Halle could never stand Stephane when she was with Gabriel. Now, all of a sudden, they are friends and he’s speaking against Gabriel.”

Bibeau, who owns the Manhattan restaurant Nuela, where he was recently pictured with Berry, said he’s known Gabriel for 11 years and they were best friends.

“Myself and a lot of other people from Gabriel’s past have given depositions to the court . . . Gabriel is frustrated because things are not going his way . . . Halle is a nice person, very diplomatic and very caring . . . She’s acting in the best interest of her child, and her ex is acting in a vindictive, very bad way.” Bibeau claims he said in his deposition that Aubry used racial slurs directly at Berry and with him about Berry.

A rep for Aubry declined to comment, and Berry’s rep said, “It is absurd and untrue to claim that Halle is seeking to get people to make negative statements to the media about Gabriel. Halle’s only concern is the well-being of her daughter. The unsubstantiated comments of Gabriel’s anonymous sources and unnamed ‘friends’ are contemptuous.”