Angelina Jolie’s Lawyers Claim in Court Papers Brad Pitt Abuse Started ‘Well Before’ 2016 Plane Incident
Angelina Jolie’s lawyers have made new bombshell claims about Brad Pitt regarding his alleged abusive past.
Jolie’s legal team filed a motion on Thursday, April 4, in support of her ongoing legal battle with Pitt, 60, over their French winery Chateau Miraval. In the filing, which was obtained by People, Jolie’s attorneys claimed that Pitt was abusive toward Jolie, 48, before the 2016 plane incident with their children that resulted in her filing for divorce. (The exes share six children: Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 17, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 15.)
"While Pitt's history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family’s September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles,” Jolie alleged via her lawyers. “This flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well. Jolie then immediately left him."
Jolie’s team was referencing the 2016 flight from France to California, in which she previously claimed Pitt was “physically and emotionally abusive” to her and the kids in flight. The Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services investigated Pitt when he landed and was cleared. The FBI also looked into the case as it was an international flight and didn’t bring any charges.
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The April filing was submitted in hopes that a judge would release communications that will allegedly prove Pitt wouldn’t allow Jolie to share her portion of Chateau Miraval unless the actress agreed to a “expansive” and “more onerous” NDA.
"Jolie’s sealed filing, which included emails, summaries of the family’s expected testimony and other evidence, caused Pitt to fear that the information could eventually become public," Jolie’s lawyers alleged, claiming that Pitt wanted her to "contractually bind herself to that silence" about his alleged "personal misconduct, whether related to Miraval or not."
Pitt’s attorneys, however, claimed in a July 2023 filing that Jolie was the one who wanted an “even broader non-disparagement clause” as part of their divorce, and Pitt’s team allegedly presented a “narrower” one “intended to protect the business.”
According to the summer 2023 documents, “The clause also made clear that there would be no limitation on Jolie’s ability to speak in connection with Pitt and Jolie’s divorce or custody proceedings. It specifically provided: This commitment shall however not limit the ability, for any Party, to make any claims, filings or testimony in any legal proceedings.”
In response to Jolie's filing, a friend of Pitt familiar with the litigation over the years told Us Weekly, "This is a pattern of behavior — whenever there is a decision that goes against the other side they consistently choose to introduce misleading, inaccurate and/or irrelevant information as a distraction. There was a lengthy custody trial that involved the entire history of their relationship and a judge who heard all the evidence still granted him 50/50 custody."
Pitt and Jolie have been battling in court over both child custody of their minor children and ownership of their French winery since separating in 2016. The pair were married two years and together for a decade before they called it quits.
Although they’ve been legally single since 2019, Pitt and Jolie had not settled on a custody agreement over Shiloh, Vivienne and Knox.
“The negotiation process was agonizing, but the financial docs were filed in the last couple of weeks,” a source exclusively told Us last month. “Brad just wants to move on with his life, and this final step symbolizes relief and a definitive end to their relationship.”
The insider explained that Jolie will maintain primary custody of the three youngest children, which is something Pitt “isn’t thrilled” about.
While Pitt and Jolie appeared to be making progress with their custody arrangement, their winery battle remains contentious. After Jolie sold her Miraval stake in October 2021, Pitt filed a lawsuit against her, claiming she did it in an attempt to “undermine Pitt’s investment.”
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In March, a judge granted Pitt’s request to sue Jolie for breach of implied-in-fact contract for selling her portion of the French company Miraval to Tenute del Mondo without Pitt’s consent.
Pitt hit a setback that same month when a judge dismissed several of his complaints against Jolie regarding the property.
“The judge dismissed most of Mr. Pitt’s claims because they don’t have a legal basis,” Jolie’s attorney, Paul Murphy, told Entertainment Tonight in a statement on March 20. “Mr. Pitt’s lawsuit has never been about a business dispute; instead, it is about his attempts to cover up serious abuse, and we are gratified the judge has thrown out so much of Mr. Pitt’s complaint.”
A source exclusively told Us at the time that Pitt wasn’t backing down. “Brad is willing to drag out the lawsuit over Chateau Miraval and Angie as long as possible if needed,” the insider said. “He is not giving up and will do it to spite Angie with vengeance.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Pitt's rep for comment.
