Angelina Jolie: Brad Pitt to respond to abuse allegations ‘in court’ - what actress said about ex and children

Brad Pitt will “respond in court” to allegations made by his ex-wife Angelina Jolie that he was abusive towards her and their children.

The actor’s lawyer, Anne Kiley, said Mr Pitt had been on the receiving end of “every type of personal attack and misrepresentation” but would not “own anything he didn’t do”.

It comes following a recent US legal filing by Ms Jolie in which she claimed her ex-husband was verbally and physically abusive towards her and their children on a plane in September 2016, which prompted her to file for a divorce.

The claims come in a cross-complaint by Ms Jolie as part of the ongoing legal dispute over the selling of the vineyard in the south of France she co-owns with Mr Pitt.

The allegations of the alleged 2016 incidents had previously been contained in a redacted FBI report made at the time.

What has Angelina Jolie said? 

Documents filed on Wednesday (5 October) in Los Angeles claim that Mr Pitt “verbally attacked” his ex-wife and at one point “lunged” at one of his children.

The documents state: “On September 14, 2016, Jolie’s marriage came to an end. On that day, Jolie, Pitt and their children were flying to Los Angeles from Chateau Miraval.

“Throughout the long, overnight flight, Pitt was physically and emotionally abusive to Jolie and their children, who were then between the ages of eight and 15.

“After that flight, for her family’s wellbeing, Jolie decided to file for divorce.”

The filing went on to claim that Mr Pitt’s “aggressive behaviour” had begun before boarding the plane, being confrontational with the children and Ms Jolie, before continuing onboard.

The document adds: “When one of the children verbally defended Jolie, Pitt lunged at his own child and Jolie grabbed him from behind to stop him.

“To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane’s seats injuring Jolie’s back and elbow.

“The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face.

“Some of the children pleaded with Pitt to stop. They were all frightened. Many were crying.”

The documents went on to claim that Mr Pitt had continued in an aggressive manner, swearing at the family and at one point “pouring beer and red wine on the children”.

After landing, Mr Pitt allegedly also stopped the family from disembarking from the aircraft and physically abused one of his children again.

Following the alleged incident, Ms Jolie filed for divorce five days later on 19 September 2016 and an FBI investigation was launched.

“After interviewing various witnesses, the FBI agent who conducted the investigation concluded that the government had probable cause to charge Pitt with a federal crime for his conduct that day, and the agent prepared a probable cause statement for referral to the United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution,” the documents state.

The filing added that Ms Jolie “has gone to great lengths to try to shield their children from reliving the pain Pitt inflicted on the family that day.”

It reads: “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.”

Has Brad Pitt responded to the allegations? 

Mr Pitt denies the allegations made against him by his ex-wife and will “respond in court”.

The actor’s lawyer Ms Kiley said in a statement shared with US outlets on Thursda: “Brad has owned everything he’s responsible for from day one – unlike the other side – but he’s not going to own anything he didn’t do. He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation.

“Thankfully, the various public authorities the other side has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions. Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done.”

A source close to the actor told BBC the claims were false, stating: “She continues to rehash, revise and reimagine her description of an event that happened six years ago by adding completely untrue information each time she fails to get what she wants. Her story is constantly evolving.”

The ongoing lawsuit between Ms Jolie and Mr Pitt centres around the sale of their stakes in Chateau Miraval SA, a French company comprising a home and vineyard in the south of France, which they purchased in 2008.

Mr Pitt has previously accused Ms Jolie of orchestrating a “hostile” takeover of the wine business that he had “carefully built” and forced him into partnership with “a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions” – Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler.

The Miraval estate is located in the village of Correns in south-eastern France and was bought by the couple for around 25 million euros (£20,875,500).

According to the legal documents, Mr Pitt contributed 60% to the purchase price, with Ms Jolie paying the remaining 40%.