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Actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s acrimonious divorce saga has taken an even nastier turn, with Angie filing new court documents that claim to prove Brad committed acts of domestic violence against her and their kids.
The actress-director is willing to testify about these claims and there’s also a chance that their children, Maddox (19), Pax (17), Zahara (16), Shiloh (14) and 12-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, could be called as witnesses, according to court documents obtained by celebrity news website The Blast.
Because Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne are so young, both parents would need to consent for them to testify in the hearing, which is likely to take place in closed court later this year or early in 2022.
This isn’t the first time Angie (45) has levelled abuse allegations at Brad (57).The Maleficent: Mistress of Evil star has alluded to her estranged husband’s threatening behaviour before and has said in multiple interviews that the separation was for their family’s well-being.
The pair began dating shortly after they filmed 2004’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith. They tied the knot in 2014 but separated two years later due to “irreconcilable differences”.
Shortly after their split, multiple outlets reported news of an alleged incident involving Brad and then 15-year-old Maddox aboard the family’s private plane.
A source close to the family claimed that the Ad Astra actor had been drunk, and that there was an argument between him and Angie. “There was a parent-child argument that wasn’t handled in the right way and escalated more than it should have,” the source added.
The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services later launched an investigation into the incident, but charges were eventually dropped, and the Oscar-winning actor was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
But Angie, who has primary custody of their kids, wants the matter to be re-examined when she and Brad meet in court to thrash out a permanent financial and custody arrangement.
“If Angelina has more documentation to prove domestic violence towards her or the children, she can submit it as a supplemental offer to prove in trial,” family law expert Evie P Jeang told Us magazine, explaining the reasoning behind the First They Killed My Father director’s latest legal move.
“She can say these are the documentation in addition to what she already presented. This could mean it’s a more recent instance [of domestic violence], or further documentation related to what was presented before.”
Yet sources from Brad’s camp insist the filing is another attempt by the Oscar-winning actress to hurt her ex, who’s seeking 50/50 physical and legal custody of the kids.
In 2019 they were reportedly trying to reach an amicable co-parenting agreement, but these efforts seem to have derailed.
Since a judge ruled two years ago that Brad should be allowed to spend more time with their children, he’s been seeing them a few times a week.
The kids are shuttled between Brad and Angie’s LA homes, which are about 1,5km apart, in SUVs with tinted windows.
Friends of Brad are worried about the toll the drawn-out case is taking on him.
“Over the past four and a half years there have been a number of claims made by Angelina that have been reviewed and not substantiated,” an insider points out.
“The children have been used by Angelina to hurt Brad before and this is more of that behaviour.”
Sources: theblast.com, thecut.com, people.com, usmagazine.com, pagesix.com, vogue.com, dailymail.co.uk, eonline.com
