Angelina Jolie filed a cross-complaint against her ex-husband Brad Pitt, providing additional information regarding what she had previously referred to in court documents as his abusive behavior aboard a private plane in 2016 that resulted in the breakdown of their marriage.
In a court filing in Los Angeles, filed as part of a legal battle over a winery the prominent Hollywood actors once owned together, lawyers for Ms. Jolie stated that negotiations to sell her share of the business to Mr. Pitt had broken down over his demand that she sign “a nondisclosure agreement that would have contractually prohibited her from speaking outside of court about Pitt’s physical and emotional abuse of her and their children.”
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Her filing goes on to describe an extended physical and verbal outburst in September 2016 as Mr. Pitt, Ms. Jolie and their six children flew from France to California. “Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face” and “grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her,” the filing states, adding that at one point “he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children.” Federal authorities, who have jurisdiction overflights, investigated the incident but declined to bring criminal charges.
Days after this plane trip, Jolie filed for divorce
Mr. Pitt argues that he and his former wife had agreed not to sell their stakes in the venue without the permission of the other.
Ms. Jolie disputes this and blames Mr Pitt for ending negotiations over purchasing her shares of the property. Her cross-complaint on Tuesday says the actor was physically and emotionally abusive towards her and their six children – aged 8 to 15 at the time – during the private plane flight.
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Her lawyers allege the Fight Club star began shouting, accusing her of being “too deferential to the children”. Shortly into the flight, Mr. Pitt “pulled her into the bathroom” in the back of the plane, says the lawsuit.
“Pitt grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall,” the filing adds. The alleged incident of physical abuse described in the filing could be a key piece of evidence in the legal battle between Mr. Pitt and Ms. Jolie, and protective order defense attorneys may seek to challenge the veracity of these claims in court.