Angelina Jolie Reveals Evidence She Will Use Against Brad Pitt at Trial

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's public legal battle has escalated, with new court documents accusing Pitt of physically abusing the actor prior to their 2016 split.

The Fight Club star sued Jolie in February 2022 after she sold her stake in their French vineyard, Château Miraval. The former couple purchased the controlling share of the 1,200-acre estate in 2008, and according to Pitt, they had agreed not to sell their portion without the other's consent.

Jolie filed a motion with the Los Angeles Superior Court on April 4, saying she had offered to sell her shares to Pitt. However, negotiations crumbled after he insisted the Maleficent star sign a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting her 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."

The lawsuit said Pitt's alleged physical abuse of Jolie began long before the infamous 2016 plane confrontation, and that Jolie would support her claims with "testimony, emails, photographs, and other evidence."

A friend of Pitt familiar with the litigation over the years told Newsweek: "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."

Here is everything we know about the upcoming court battle, beginning with the alleged plane confrontation that started it all. Newsweek has contacted Angelina Jolie for comment via email.

Pitt and Jolie's Plane Confrontation

Pitt and Jolie met in 2004 on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, with the actor allegedly leaving his then-wife, Friends icon Jennifer Aniston, to be with his co-star.

Jolie had already adopted two children, Maddox Chivan and Zahara, when she and Pitt had their first biological child, Shiloh, in 2006. The couple later adopted a son, Pax, and their twins—Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline—were born in 2008.

Pitt and Jolie wed in 2014, but cracks soon began to appear in the relationship. Following an argument on a private jet in September 2016, Pitt "grabbed Jolie by the head," shook her, and repeatedly punched the "ceiling of the plane," according to an FBI report.

The couple was traveling with their children. When one child asked if Jolie was OK, Pitt yelled: "No, Mommy's not OK. She's ruining this family. She's crazy," the report said.

The files also said Pitt poured alcohol over furniture and Jolie, who had retreated under a blanket with their children for the remainder of the journey. When the jet landed, Pitt exited alone, allegedly shouting: "F*** you all. I'm f****** leaving you."

Specifics of the incident were sealed until 2022, when the FBI report was released as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. A later complaint filed by Jolie accused Pitt of having "choked one of the children" and striking "another in the face."

At the time, representatives for Pitt denied the claims, calling them "completely untrue." No criminal charges were pursued against the World War Z star, but Jolie filed for divorce a few weeks after the plane incident.

Pitt Is Investigated for Child Abuse

Following the alleged plane incident, the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services investigated Pitt. He was cleared in November 2016.

Pitt and Jolie agreed to a DCFS safety plan, a temporary custody arrangement that allowed Pitt supervised visits with their six children. Both parents reportedly consented to individual counseling sessions, with Pitt also attending Alcoholics Anonymous.

However, a source close to Jolie claimed that Pitt refused domestic violence counseling.

"Pitt never came to this understanding and not only sought 50-50 custodial time—including with children with whom he had not had a stable relationship in years—but also sought sole custody if the children did not sufficiently bond with him," Jolie's legal team said on Friday.

"Despite this distressing request, Jolie still did not seek sole custody. Instead she advocated that the children's wishes and needs be prioritized, based in part on what the children felt they could do, and for a custody plan formulated in the children's best interest to heal."

Pitt and Jolie's Acrimonious Custody Battle

Jolie was granted sole custody of the children in December 2016, with Pitt allowed to continue his supervised visits. Pitt filed for joint custody in early 2017, but Jolie's lawyers requested further therapy sessions.

The relationship between Pitt and the Girl, Interrupted star continued to deteriorate, with Jolie accusing Pitt of not paying meaningful child support, which he denied. Pitt was granted joint custody in 2021, but the judge was disqualified and the decision was overturned.

In 2022, Pitt said he was "taking account of his life." In an interview with the Financial Times, the Oscar winner revealed that he'd quit alcohol following the plane incident.

"I'm not me anymore," he said. "I used to be me. I remember that guy, but that's not me."

Pitt Sues Jolie Over Château Miraval

After Pitt sued Jolie over the winery in 2022, the 48-year-old countersued. In court documents, Jolie accused Pitt of physical and verbal abuse, citing the 2016 plane incident.

"She has gone to great lengths to try to shield their children from reliving the pain Pitt inflicted on the family that day," lawyers for Jolie said in the cross-complaint.

"But when Pitt filed this lawsuit seeking to reassert control over Jolie's financial life and compel her to rejoin her ex-husband as a frozen-out business partner, Pitt forced Jolie to publicly defend herself on these issues for the first time."

A June 2023 filing from Pitt's legal team dubbed Jolie's sale of her shares in the winery a "vindictive" move following an "adverse custody ruling."

"Her decision to terminate negotiations with Pitt was intentional and pretextual," his lawyers claimed in the suit.

"As will be demonstrated at trial, Jolie's actions were unlawful, severely and intentionally damaging Pitt and unjustly enriching herself."

Jolie's Latest Filing: 'History of Physical Abuse'

The April 4 court filing by Jolie's legal team said Pitt's "history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family's September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles."

The documents did not go into further detail about the alleged abuse. However, they said Jolie would "prove 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."

Update 4/5/24, 1 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comment from a source close to Brad Pitt and additional information.