New details have emerged about the 2016 plane flight that led Angelina Jolie to file for divorce from Brad Pitt. In new documents filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jolie accused her ex-husband of “physical and emotional abuse” not only towards her but also towards their children, The New York Times reports.
- The papers were part of a countersuit Jolie filed against Pitt. The continuing legal battle centers on a French winery the pair owned together. Negotiations for Jolie to be able to sell her share of Chateau Miraval were moving forward. However, they broke down when Pitt allegedly requested Jolie 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.”
- Details of the altercation between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie featured in the document are troubling. In the filing, Jolie outlines the lengthy and aggressive verbal and physical blowup Pitt had in September 2016. The pair and their six children were flying from France to California at the time. However, Jolie claims that “Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face.” She also alleged that Pitt “grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her.” She also accused him of pouring beer on Jolie and “poured beer and red wine on the children.”
- Pitt is not and has never been under criminal investigation. While Jolie filed for divorce within days of the trip. However, the FBI investigation determined that no charges would be brought against Pitt. “After reviewing the document, representative of the United States attorney’s office discussed the merits of this investigation with the case agent,” a redacted FBI report on the case said (via The Guardian). “It was agreed by all parties that criminal charges in this case would not be pursued due to several factors.” The document added that Jolie was “conflicted on whether or not to be supportive of charges” against Pitt.
- The new filing sheds further light on Jolie’s version of events. Court documents allege that Brad Pitt became angry at Angelina Jolie for being “too deferential” towards their kids. He shouted at her about this in the plane’s restroom. “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 documents stated. “Pitt then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Jolie to leave the bathroom.” It’s also stated that when one on their kids came to Jolie’s rescue, Pitt lunged toward the child, which spurred Jolie to grab Pitt from behind. Pitt then allegedly “choked one of the children and struck another in the face.”
- Jolie has tried to keep the couple’s children shielded from the situation. However, the ongoing legal battle over the winery is making that difficult. Jolie’s lawyers wrote that “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.”
