Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie is said to have filed a lawsuit against the FBI in April, anonymously as Jane Doe, requesting documents related to an investigation involving Brad Pitt. She did so reportedly in an attempt to learn why no criminal charges were brought against her ex-husband following their alleged fight onboard a private jet in 2016, that led to the couple’s divorce.
The suit seeks the FBI to release information related to the investigation after Jolie claimed Pitt had physically assaulted her and their children on a private flight in the year 2016.
The attorney for Jane Doe said in April that she couldn’t comment on the identity of her client. But the lawyer noted that her client was “seeking such records for years but has been stonewalled and has had to resort to court action to receive needed records.”
According to Daily Mail, the FBI documents, which have yet to be publicly released, were obtained by several news outlets on Tuesday. As per the agency’s document, the assistant United States attorney and the assistant United States chief of the Criminal Division discussed the case in November 2017 before a decision was reached not to proceed with charges against Brad Pitt.
The documents revealed how Jolie told FBI officials that Pitt yelled at her, “grabbed her by her head,” shook her, “pushed her into the bathroom wall” and repeatedly punched the ceiling of the plane.
The records said the altercation occurred 90 minutes into the flight between France and Los Angeles on September 14, 2016.
It was reportedly the same flight where Angelina Jolie allegedly sustained injuries from a physical altercation and gave an agent “a photo of her elbow in an attempt to corroborate this.” Jolie had claimed there was $25,000 of damage done to the private jet.
She alleged that he punched the ceiling of the plane four times after telling her, “You’re f—ing up this family.” When the kids asked, “Are you OK, Mommy?,” Pitt allegedly replied: “No, she’s not OK, she’s ruining this family, she’s crazy.”
Jolie had further claimed in her statement that Pitt’s actions scared their six children, who ranged in age from 8 to 15 at the time.
At this point, one of the kids, whose name was redacted from the report, yelled, “It’s not her, it’s you, you p**k!,” according to the report. Pitt then allegedly ran toward the child, but Jolie held him back, suffering injuries to her back and elbow in the process.
‘Angelina Jolie trying to inflict the most amount of pain by reviving plane incident’, says a source close to Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt, meanwhile, denied all the accusations meted out at him by his ex-wife. A source close to Pitt claimed that both he and Jolie had the FBI documents in question for six years, and Jolie likely meant to “revive an issue that was painful for everybody and was resolved six years ago.”
“They investigated it. They prepared materials, reviewed it together and decided not to charge him,” says the source.
“What are the motivations of a person to take up court time and public resources in filing an anonymous FOIA request for the material they have had for years? There’s only one: to inflict the most amount of pain on her ex. There is no benefit to this. It is harmful to the children and the entire family for this to be made public,” said Brad Pitt’s source.
“It’s wave after wave of attempts to hurt him,” added the source. “He has remained virtually completely silent other than to acknowledge things he could do better. He has remained silent on this issue because he knows that’s the best thing for his kids, what’s best for everybody. He has maintained that stance despite a never-ending barrage of attacks and attempts made to use the courts against him.”
Brad Pitt given clean chit in 2016 case
According to NBC News, the actor was officially cleared by the FBI of any wrongdoing involving his children on November 22, 2016. Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman, issued a statement saying, “The FBI has conducted a review of the circumstances and will not pursue further investigation. No charges have been filed in this matter.”
Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt 4 days after the altercation
Notably, the altercation between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt took place on September 14, 2016. On September 19, Jolie filed for divorce from The Fight Club actor Brad Pitt. After 11 years of marriage, the former Hollywood couple has been embroiled in a messy legal battle. Despite the fact that Jolie and Pitt are legally divorced, the couple is still fighting over custody of their minor children.
Legal cases between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had been together for nearly a decade before marrying in 2014. Their relationship also began amid controversy, as most reports at the time stated that the couple met in 2004, while Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were still married to each other. Jennifer and Pitt, on the other hand, made it clear in an official statement to People magazine that they were splitting up after considering various issues, and it had nothing to do with what the tabloids had to say. They also stated that they were splitting up amicably.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt filed for divorce in 2016, and their marriage was declared null and void in 2019. According to TMZ, Angelina Jolie was dissatisfied with Brad Pitt’s excessive alcohol and substance consumption, which she felt was endangering their children. Brad Pitt’s team was quick to respond, stating that the actor was a devoted father. Brad Pitt later told People magazine that the most important thing for them right now is the well-being of their children.
Within the next few days, an investigation was initiated on Brad Pitt, over child abuse allegations, which was being processed by the FBI and LA DCFS.
No substantial evidence against Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie was initially granted full custody of her children for more than three weeks, but the case quickly reached the courts as Brad Pitt sought joint custody. The investigating authorities stated in November 2016 that there was no substantial evidence of physical abuse against Brad Pitt.
The Fight Club actor attempted to keep the case out of the public eye. It was later settled in January 2017 because the ex-couple wanted to keep the matter private for the sake of their children.
Angelina Jolie was dissatisfied with the proceedings thus far
After Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s divorce was finalised in 2019, their custody case fell silent for a while. Angelina Jolie attempted to remove Judge John W Ouderkirk as the judge-in-charge in August 2020, despite the fact that he was unanimously appointed by the couple, in order to keep their case as private as possible. She claimed that the judge was biased against her, but the courts denied her request.
Court granted joint custody of children to Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie was of the opinion that the judge ignored a specific incident that pointed to physical abuse. She also stated that she had substantial evidence that could be proven if the minor children were permitted to testify. Children over the age of 14 are permitted to testify under California law, but Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s children’s testimony was not taken at this time. Brad Pitt was granted joint custody over the next few months, while Angelina Jolie still continues to fight for full custody of the children.
