Topics: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Celebrity, Film and TV, Sex and Relationships, US News
A new court filing has claimed Brad Pitt's 'physical abuse' of Angelina Jolie began prior to the 2016 plane incident.
The former couple have been locked into an ongoing legal battle of the sale of a French winery they bought together.
The accusations of Pitt's alleged abusive behavior first arose in court documents filed by Jolie's team in 2022, however, new papers were submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, 4 April claiming the abuse started even earlier.
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The 2022 court documents filed by Jolie's team came after Pitt sued his ex-wife and her former company Nouvel for selling her half of the French winery, the Babylon actor claiming he and Jolie had agreed they wouldn't sell their shares without the other's approval and that in doing so, she had 'jeopardize[d] the reputation of the business that Pitt so carefully built'.
In a response to the lawsuit filed in October 2022, the Maleficent star claimed Pitt became abusive during a plane ride from France to California back in September 2016, Pitt allegedly 'grabbing' Jolie 'by the head' before 'chok[ing]' one of their children and 'str[iking] another' in the face.
An investigation into the alleged incident was launched by federal authorities but no criminal charges were made and Jolie didn't press charges.
Pitt denied the accusations. Days after the plane ride, Jolie filed for divorce and the pair were declared legally separated in 2019.
As the debacle with the winery - called Miraval - continues, Jolie's lawyers have since filed new documents claiming Pitt abused Jolie prior to the plane incident too.
A copy of the motion was obtained by CNN which reports the documents claim: "While Pitt's history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family’s September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles, this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well. Jolie then immediately left him."
The papers don't go into any further detail about the alleged abuse, although it states Jolie will 'prove through through testimony, emails, photographs, and other evidence why Pitt was so concerned about his own misconduct that he blew up his own deal to purchase Jolie’s interest in Miraval because she refused to agree to his new, expansive NDA'.
According to Jolie's team, she allegedly offered sell her half of the winery to Pitt but he said he'd only go through with the sale if she signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) too.
The NDA allegedly 'prohibited Jolie from speaking (other than in court) about Pitt’s abuse of Jolie and their children by attempting to tie Pitt’s personal reputation to Miraval’s business'.
Back in 2023, a source close to Pitt told PEOPLE 'the non-disparagement clause in the contract' was 'totally standard'.
A filling from the actor's legal team in June 2023 also claimed it was actually Jolie who asked for an 'ever broader non-disparagement clause' and that 'the clause also made clear that there would be no limitation on Jolie’s ability to speak in connection with Pitt and Jolie’s divorce or custody proceedings'.
While Pitt's representatives are yet to publicly respond to the new filing, an alleged friend of Pitt's has addressed the claims.
The source told PEOPLE: "This is a pattern of behavior - whenever there is a decision that goes against the other side they consistently choose to introduce misleading, inaccurate and/or irrelevant information as a distraction.
"There was a lengthy custody trial that involved the entire history of their relationship and a judge who heard all the evidence still granted him 50/50 custody."
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Jolie's attorney Paul Murphy said on 4 April: "Mr. Pitt refused to purchase Ms. Jolie’s interest when she would not be silenced by his NDA. By refusing to buy her interest but then suing her, Mr. Pitt put directly at issue why that NDA was so important to him and what he hoped it would bury: his abuse of Ms. Jolie and their family. After eight months of delays, this motion asks the Court to force Mr. Pitt to finally produce that evidence."
UNILAD has contacted representatives for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for comment.
