Brad Pitt is "heartbroken" and "devastated" by the emergence of court documents indicating that ex-wife Angelina Jolie is willing to testify about alleged spousal abuse as they continue to fight for custody over their six children.
The pair have been locked in a messy legal battle over child custody and are in the midst of a trial when sealed court documents revealing that Jolie is ready to offer "proof and authority in support" of alleged domestic violence were obtained by The Blast.
Pitt is reportedly hurt that his ex has resorted to such measures in their trial.
"Brad is heartbroken that Angelina has gone that route," a source told Page Six. "There’s a lot of emotion left after their marriage. He has taken responsibility for his actions and owned up to his past issues, he’s stopped drinking. The marriage was very passionate and toxic at times and — like all couples — they had fights, but also shared many good times together."
Angelina filed for divorce from Pitt after an alleged "incident" on a plane. She never indicated what happened but a TMZ report at the time stated that Pitt had allegedly attacked his oldest son, Maddox, on the flight. The "Fight Club" actor was never charged and there have never been any police reports filed indicating allegations of spousal abuse.
"Brad and his camp has never attacked Angelina. But his camp feels this leak was calculated to sway opinion ahead of the conclusion of their trial," the source said. "Brad feels like he’s being more and more isolated from his children, and he’s devastated about it."
In August, Jolie requested that Judge John W. Ouderkirk, who is overseeing proceedings, be removed from the case on claims that he had business relationships with Pitt's attorney, Anne C. Kiley. Jolie claimed that the judge "failed to disclose the cases that demonstrated the current, ongoing, repeat-customer relationship between the judge and Respondent’s counsel."
Pitt retaliated by accusing Jolie of using the demand to delay the ruling for the settlement and custody arrangements of their children, whom he claimed were being hurt the most by the stall tactics.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.