Angelina Jolie Alleges In Court Filing That Brad Pitt Physically Abused Her And Their Kids: "Pitt Choked One Of The Children And Struck Another In The Face"
In September 2016, Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt. They were married for only two years but they were together for over a decade. Their divorce has been anything but simple, and the two are now in a legal battle that has resulted in a court filing alleging that Pitt abused both Jolie and their children.
The ex-couple are caught in a legal battle over a wine company called Chateau Miraval. Pitt and Jolie purchased a controlling stake in the business in 2008 and the purchase included a home and vineyard in Correns, France, where they hosted their wedding in 2014. Originally, Pitt owned 60% and Jolie owned 40%, but in 2013 they became equal owners at 50/50. While they were still together, they pledged that neither would sell his or her shares without first getting approval from the other. However, Jolie sold her 50% stake in the company to a subsidiary of Stoli Group, which has led to Pitt suing her and accusing her of violating his "contractual rights." Jolie has responded with a court filing that details Pitt's alleged physical and verbal abuse toward her and their six children.
Angelina Jolie Alleges in Court Filing That Brad Pitt Physically Abused Her and Their Kids
Jolie's cross complaint claims that she sold her stake in the wine company because of Pitt's demand for “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.” She shares specific details of the alleged abuse that took place in September 2016 when the whole family flew from France to California.
The filing states that “Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face” and “grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her." Additionally, it says Pitt "poured beer on Jolie" and "poured beer and red wine on the children." Jolie also alleges that Pitt grabbed her by the shoulders and "shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall." The filing also states, “Pitt then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Jolie to leave the bathroom.”
Because federal authorities have jurisdiction over flights, they investigated the incident but didn't bring forth criminal charges. However, Jolie's filing says that the FBI agent who looked into the incident had “concluded that the government had probable cause to charge Pitt with a federal crime for his conduct that day.” There is an FBI report that described Jolie as “conflicted on whether or not to be supportive of charges."
“She has gone to great lengths to try to shield their children from reliving the pain Pitt inflicted on the family that day,” the cross complaint says. “But when Pitt filed this lawsuit seeking to reassert control over Jolie’s financial life and compel her to rejoin her ex-husband as a frozen-out business partner, Pitt forced Jolie to publicly defend herself on these issues for the first time.”
The New York Times reached out to Brad Pitt and representatives for the FBI for comments, but none have responded.