Angelina Jolie has filed a countersuit against Brad Pitt amid their legal battle over Château Miraval, a French winery the former couple bought more than a decade ago. The countersuit, obtained by Variety, finds Jolie’s legal team revealing new details about an alleged altercation that took place between Pitt, Jolie and their children on a plane in September, 2016.
Pitt filed a lawsuit against Jolie earlier this year, accusing her of violating “contractural rights” after she sold her half of Château Miraval without his knowledge. Jolie’s lawyers claim in the countersuit that discussions with Pitt’s team about selling her side of the company broke down after he demanded she sign “a nondisclosure agreement that would have contractually prohibited her from speaking outside of court about Pitt’s physical and emotional abuse of her and their children.”
According to the countersuit, “Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face” and “grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her” during the 2016 altercation. Jolie’s lawyer states the dispute started when Pitt accused her of being “too deferential” to their kids. The two started fighting in the plane’s bathroom.
“Pitt grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall,” the countersuit reads. “Pitt then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Jolie to leave the bathroom.”
The countersuit states that Pitt attempted to get physical with one of their kids after the child came to Jolie’s defense.
“When one of the children verbally defended Jolie, Pitt lunged at his own child and Jolie grabbed him from behind to stop him,” the countersuit states. “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.”
Jolie “arranged for separate transportation at the airport” to bring her and the children to a hotel without Pitt, the suit continues. “She then went to wake Pitt up and told him that she and the children were going to a hotel. Pitt once again screamed at her, and pushed her down yet again.”
As reported in August, Jolie was behind an anonymous 2016 lawsuit in which the plaintiff alleged being assaulted by her “then-husband” on a private plane. The actor told an FBI agent that Pitt “physically and verbally assaulted” her and their children, and the agent went on to meet with the assistant U.S. attorney. The agent concluded they would not pursue criminal charges, causing Jolie to anonymously file a Freedom of Information Act suit against the FBI in order to obtain documents related to the federal investigation against Pitt.
In the new countersuit, Jolie’s lawyer states that the FBI agent who investigated the allegations had “concluded that the government had probable cause to charge Pitt with a federal crime for his conduct that day.”
Variety has reached out to Pitt’s attorney and representative for further comment.
From Variety US