Angelina Jolie wins a battle, but not the war yet. The actress can rejoice in a victory in her legal battle against Brad Pitt, the judge who oversaw their divorce and custody of their children having been removed from the case.
The two stars, who have six children and were once Hollywood’s hottest couple, filed for divorce in 2016 and have since clashed through solicitors. In May, the judge appointed to rule on their separation – who also celebrated their marriage in France in 2014 – granted Brad Pitt joint custody of his children. This magistrate, retired, officiates in a private setting and not in a court.
The accused judge
But on Friday, a California appeals court ruled that he had benefited financially from a separate job with Brad Pitt’s lawyers without mentioning it, giving reason to Angelina Jolie who felt he should be disqualified. This decision marks a return to square one for the case, which will have to start again before a new judge.
The actors met in 2004 on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, in which they played a couple. At that time, Brad Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston.
Child custody at the heart of the battle
The 57-year-old actor was accused of hitting one of his children on a flight from France to Los Angeles shortly before his partner filed for divorce, but has since been cleared by the FBI and social workers.
In 2018, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt reached an out-of-court custody agreement, which seems to have since been undone. His terms had not been made public, but according to US media, Brad Pitt was seeking joint custody, while Angelina Jolie was seeking sole custody.
After the May decision, a source familiar with the matter told AFP that the actress believed “that she and the children had not had the right to a fair trial” and that she would continue to “seek the best solution for children and their well-being ”. A spokesperson for Brad Pitt declined to speak, and Angelina Jolie’s representatives did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.