LOS ANGELES (AP) -A court filing on Tuesday by Angelina Jolie alleges that on the flight of 2016, Brad Pitt grabbed her by the neck and shook her before choking the child of his, and hit another as they tried to protect her.
The accusations of the abuse that occurred on the private flight were uncovered in the form of a cross-complaint Jolie made in their fight over the ownership of a French home and winery that they owned together, which is distinct from their divorce proceedings that she filed shortly after.
A representative of Pitt who was not permitted to speak out publicly, denied Jolie’s claims and called the allegations “another repeat that is only harmful to families.”
Allegations of abuse aboard the plane began to surface just after the flight however, initial reports were unclear, and details were secret in divorce papers as well as investigations conducted by investigators from the FBI as well as the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, both of which concluded that there was no need to take actions towards Pitt was needed.
A judge granted Pitt half custody for the kids following an in-person trial where the allegations were discussed. However, an appeals judge removed the judge from the bench for failing to disclose potential conflicts of interest following an appeal by Jolie to invalidate the decision.
Further details about the allegations surfaced in the spring of this year, when an Angelina Jolie lawsuit filed against the FBI regarding an Freedom of Information Act request was released to the public.
The New York Times first reported on the lawsuit filed in court.
The report states that on September. 14 in 2016, Jolie, Pitt and their six children were on their way from Chateau Miraval, the winery Chateau Miraval and on in France, to Los Angeles.
“Pitt’s aggression began long before the family reached the airport and culminated in Pitt engaging in a dispute in front of one kid. As the plane was taken off Jolie came up to Pitt and demanded to know to explain what was going on,” the filing says. “Pitt claimed that she was too respectful to the children and verbally abused her.”
In the following paragraph, it states, “He pulled her into the bathroom and started yelling at her. Pitt took Jolie with his head, shook her. He then she grabbed her shoulders and shaken her yet again before pushing her against the wall of the bathroom.”
One of the kids, aged between 8 and 15 in the moment, was defending Jolie in the lawsuit that they did, and Pitt hit back.
“Pitt was threatening his child, and Jolie took him by the back in order to stop the attack. In order to get Jolie away from her back Pitt was thrown backwards in the seats of the plane, injuring Jolie’s elbow and back,” the filing says. “The children ran in and all fought to defend one another. When the incident was over, Pitt struck one of the kids and hit another with his face.”
The documents states that he then put beer in the mouth of Jolie and also poured red wine and red beer upon the youngsters.
Jolie’s story was relayed by his flight in a letter to FBI investigators during the days that were following. The account was included in a classified report, which was that was later released by the FBI.
The letter also included a picture of an injury to Jolie’s elbow as well as an “rug-burn type of injury” in her hands. In the article, she claimed she’d seen Pitt drink between two and three drinks, but that Pitt seemed to be lucid and was not drunk.
Investigators met with federal prosecutors “It was unanimously agreed by all parties that the criminal charges in this case could not be investigated due to a variety of reasons,” the report says.
An FBI statement stated that it had “conducted an investigation into the circumstances and has decided not to investigate further.”
The 47-year old Oscar-winning actress as well as director Jolie and the actor, 58, who won the Oscars Pitt were among the most well-known couples in Hollywood for the past 12 years.
They had been lovers for over a decade before they got married in 2014. Jolie was divorced in the year 2016, and the judge declared them unmarried in the year 2019. The divorce proceedings have not yet been resolved with financial and custody issues remaining in dispute.