Allegations of assault by Christian Bale's mother and sister against "The Dark Knight" star may be motivated by money, sources tell TMZ.com.

British media reported the claims of the assault, which allegedly took place Sunday night at a hotel in London -- the day before the European premiere of "The Dark Knight."

The celebrity gossip site reported Wednesday that the actor's relationship with his mom, Jenny Bale, has been bitter since she and Christian Bale's dad divorced nearly two decades ago. TMZ reported that, at the time of the divorce, Christian Bale chose to live with his dad, who moved to Los Angeles to manage his career

TMZ said that Christian Bale has told friends that the move made Jenny Bale extremely jealous of the pair's success.

Sources "directly connected" to the case earlier told TMZ that the assault claims amount to next to nothing. The sources said that Christian Bale allegedly pushed Jenny Bale out of the way during an altercation, but that there was a division of opinion of whether it was actually a "push" or a "brush."

The sources told the site that Jenny Bale did not fall down and was not hurt.

Although Christian Bale was not named by London police in the arrest report because he has not been charged with any crime, the actor denied the allegations. He was arrested and released on bail after being questioned for four hours in London Tuesday.

"Christian Bale attended a London police station today (Tuesday), on a voluntary basis, in order to assist with an allegation that had been made against him to the police by his mother and sister," the actor's representatives said. "Mr. Bale, who denies the allegation, cooperated throughout, gave his account in full of the events in question and has left the station without any charge being made against him by the police. At this time, there will be no further comment by Mr. Bale."

The actor is due in court in September.

The allegations were made at the same time as the blockbuster success of "The Dark Knight," where Christian Bale reprises his role of Bruce Wayne/Batman from the hit film "Batman Begins."

"The Dark Knight," co-starring the late Heath Ledger as Batman's arch-nemesis "The Joker," shattered box office records over the weekend, including three-day ticket sales of more than $158 million.

Christian Bale, 34, began his career as a child actor in 1987 in Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun." His other films include "American Psycho," "The Machinist," "The Prestige" and "Rescue Dawn."

He will next star opposite Johnny Depp in the crime drama "Public Enemies," and is currently at work in "Terminator: Salvation," the latest film in the hit "Terminator" movie franchise. In the film, Bale will play the adult version of hero John Connor.