Angelina Jolie claims Brad Pitt attacked her and two of their children on private jet
Angelina Jolie has accused ex husband Brad Pitt of being "emotionally and physically abusive" towards her and their children during a plane journey in 2016. ITV News' Faye Barker has the details.
Angelina Jolie has alleged that her former partner Brad Pitt attacked her and two of their children on a private plane.
Ms Jolie filed court papers on Tuesday claiming Mr Pitt had grabbed her by the head and shook her before choking one of their children and striking another when they tried to defend her as the family flew back to California from their home in France.
A representative for Mr Pitt, 58, who was not authorised to speak publicly, strongly denied Ms Jolie’s allegations and called them “another rehash that only harms the family.”
The allegations of abuse first came to light in the days following the flight, but details were kept sealed in divorce documents, and the FBI and Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services ruled no action against Mr Pitt was necessary.
Mr Pitt was awarded joint custody of the children after a closed-door trial in which the allegations were aired. The ruling was later nullified after an appeals court disqualified the private judge for not disclosing possible conflicts of interest.
The court filing, first reported by the New York Times, says that on September 14, 2016, Ms Jolie, Mr Pitt and their six children were travelling from the winery, Chateau Miraval, to Los Angeles.
“Pitt’s aggressive behaviour started even before the family got to the airport, with Pitt having a confrontation with one of the children. After the flight took off, Jolie approached Pitt and asked him what was wrong,” the filing says. “Pitt accused her of being too deferential to the children and verbally attacked her.”
It adds: “He pulled her into the bathroom and began yelling at her. 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.”
One of the children, who were between eight and 15 at the time, verbally defended the 47-year-old Oscar-winning actor and director, the countersuit says, and Mr Pitt lashed out.
“Pitt lunged at his own child and Jolie grabbed him from behind to stop him. To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane’s seats injuring Jolie’s back and elbow,” the filing says. “The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face.”
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The document says Mr Pitt allegedly then poured beer on Ms Jolie and poured beer and red wine on the children.
Ms Jolie’s gave an account of the flight to two FBI investigators after the event. It appeared in a heavily redacted report later released by the agency and included a photo of a bruise on the actress' elbow and a “rug-burn type injury” on her hand. In it she said that she had seen Mr Pitt have two to three drinks, but said he appeared articulate and not intoxicated.
The investigators met with federal prosecutors, and “it was agreed by all parties that criminal charges in this case would not be pursued due to several factors,” the report says.
An FBI statement said it has “conducted a review of the circumstances and will not pursue further investigation.”
Dubbed 'Brangelina', Ms Jolie and Mr Pitt were among Hollywood’s most prominent couples for 12 years.
They had been romantic partners for a decade when they married in 2014 before Ms Jolie filed for divorce in 2016.
A judge declared them single in 2019, but the divorce case has not been finalised with custody and financial issues still in dispute.