Angelina Jolie has accused Brad Pitt of abusive behaviour towards her and their six children during a 2016 plane flight that led to the end of their marriage.
The allegations were a cross-complaint from Jolie’s lawyers as part of an ongoing legal battle over a winery in France they once co-owned.
Jolie’s lawyers said negotiations for her to sell her share of Chateau Miraval to Pitt broke down when he wanted her to 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”.
Uh oh.
The complaint, seen by the New York Times, describes an extended physical and verbal outburst by Pitt in September 2016 on a plane trip from France to California.
According to court papers, Jolie said Pitt accused her of being “too deferential” to their children and yelled at her in the bathroom.
“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 states.
“Pitt then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Jolie to leave the bathroom.”
It also said “Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face” and “grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her”.
At one point “he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children”.
Jolie filed for divorce days after the trip. The incident on the flight was investigated by the FBI which decided not to bring criminal charges.
An FBI report at the time said “It was agreed by all parties that criminal charges in this case would not be pursued due to several factors”.
Jolie’s lawyers said she had attempted to shield the children from “reliving the pain Pitt inflicted” but when Pitt filed a suit against her in February she was pushed to share the details.
Pitt’s lawsuit claimed she violated his “contractual expectations” when she sold her stake in their winery to a subsidiary of the Stoli Group.
He said she did it in secret which went against an understanding that neither would sell their shares without the other’s consent.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about domestic or family violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
