In court documents submitted on Tuesday in the United States by his ex-wife, Brad Pitt is accused of striking one of his kids in the face and strangling another after an altercation with Angelina Jolie aboard a private jet.
Formerly one of Hollywood’s most prominent couples, the couple has been involved in a protracted legal battle about their marriage, the custody of their six children, and their joint assets, which includes a French vineyard.
Jolie details a protracted outburst by Pitt when the couple and their children were flying from California to France in September 2016 in court documents filed in a Los Angeles court that were extensively reported in the media.
Pitt allegedly “choked one of the kids and struck another one in the face,” according to the New York Times, which also stated that he “grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her.”
He “poured beer on Jolie at one point and beer and red wine on the kids at another point” during the altercation.
Pitt’s remark that Jolie was “too subservient” to the kids set off the altercation in the restroom of the aircraft.
According to Variety’s report on the lawsuit, “Pitt seized Jolie by the head and shook her, then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again, before forcing her into the restroom wall.”
It continues, “Pitt rushed at his child as one of the kids angrily supported Jolie, and Jolie grabbed him from behind to restrain him.
“The young people dashed in and valiantly attempted to defend one another. Pitt strangled one of the kids and hit another one in the face before it was all done. Some of the youngsters begged Pitt to stop. All of them were terrified. Many people were sobbing.”
Federal officials, who have authority over flights with US origins, looked into the accusations made by the Fight Club actor, who has long been one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. No accusations were ever made.
A couple of days following the flight, Jolie filed for divorce.
The A-listers have since fought over ownership of a lavish French mansion they jointly purchased as well as custody of the children, who were born three biologically and three through adoption.
Pitt’s agents have been contacted by AFP for comment on the most recent allegations.
According to Jolie’s lawsuit on Tuesday, talks regarding the sale of her Chateau Miraval interest to Pitt fell after he insisted she sign a “nondisclosure agreement that would have legally prevented her from commenting about Pitt’s physical and mental abuse of her and their children.”
It follows Pitt’s accusations that his former co-star had violated his rights when she sold her ownership stake in the winery to a unit of the Russian billionaire-owned Stoli Group.
Pitt claimed that “Jolie attempted to inflict injury” on him with the transaction in documents he filed earlier this year, citing suspected ties between the owner of the company and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Yuri Shefler, whose beverages business Stoli Group is located in Latvia, has long been a vocal opponent of Vladimir Putin.
However, Jolie’s attorneys stated in the filing on Tuesday that the deal was only sought after negotiations to sell to Pitt fell due to the non-disclosure agreement he was requesting.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Jolie opted to sell since she and her children “had not been allowed to return” to Chateau Miraval. Before agreeing to the transaction with Shefler, she had made many proposals to her ex-husband.
Pitt and Jolie, who were once the most well-known couple in Hollywood, started dating after Pitt and Jolie co-starred as married killers in the 2005 movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith. At the time, Pitt was wed to Jennifer Aniston.
The A-listers said in 2018 that they had settled their child custody dispute amicably, but any agreement seemed to crumble soon.
Jolie won the custody dispute in July when the private judge presiding over their divorce and custody issues was removed from the case.