According to a new court filing, Angelina Jolie’s lawyers have claimed that Brad Pitt was physically abusive towards the actress prior the 2016 plane incident that led to her filing for divorce. Pitt has not yet responded to the accusation.
The new allegation comes as part of the former couple’s ongoing legal battle over their French winery Château Miraval, in which Jolie claims her sale of the property was blocked by Pitt, and that he’d only allow it if she agreed to a “more onerous” and “expansive” NDA.
In the new filing, shared by PEOPLE, Jolie’s lawyers make the 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.”
A representative for Pitt has declined to comment on the new abuse allegations.
“This is a pattern of behaviour — 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,” a friend of Pitt familiar with the former couple’s legal battles told PEOPLE.
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“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.”
The alleged incident onboard an aeroplane travelling from Europe to the US on September 14, 2016, reportedly involved one of the former couple’s children, Maddix. Pitt allegedly became physical with their then-15-year-old son as the latter attempted to diffuse the situation between his parents. Pitt’s team has denied all allegations of wrongdoing related to the alleged incident.
Pitt was also the subject of a “child abuse investigation” in relation to Maddix’s purported involvement in the alleged plane incident. It was conducted by the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services, who reportedly later cleared the actor of any wrongdoing.