Brad Pitt allegedly "choked" one of his children and "struck" another in the face during an explosive row in 2016.
Brad Pitt has been accused of choking one of his children
The 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' actor's ex-wife Angelina Jolie has filed a cross complaint as part of a legal battle over Château Miraval, the winery they once owned together, and in the documents, she has detailed shocking details about the altercation on a private plane that led to the breakdown of their marriage, including that he allegedly "grabbed" the actress "by the head".
Lawyers acting on behalf of the 'Maleficent' star - who has Maddox, 21, Pax, 18, Zahara, 17, Shiloh, 16, and 14-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox with Brad - claimed negotiations to sell her share of the alcohol business to her ex-husband broke down over his demand that 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.”
The filing goes onto describe an alleged outburst from Brad as the family flew from France to California in September 2016, which allegedly began when the 'Moneyball' star accused his then-wife of being "too deferential" to the children before yelling at her in the bathroom.
The documents continued: "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. Pitt then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Jolie to leave the bathroom.”
The 58-year-old star then allegedly lunged at one of his children when they came to defend their mother,prompting her to grab him from behind.
The documents continued: "“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.
“At one point, he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children."
In September 2016, the 'Fight Club' actor was investigated by the FBI over the incident but they ultimately declined to pursue criminal charges.
However, in the new countersuit, Angelina's legal team insisted the agent who investigated the allegations had “probable cause to charge Pitt with a federal crime for his conduct that day.”
The 47-year-old actress filed for divorce days after the alleged incident.
Brad sued his ex-wife and her former company in February after she sold her stake in the wine business to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of Stoli Group, despite an apparent understanding neither party would sell without the consent of the other.
But last month, Angelina's former company, which is now owned by Stoli Group, countersued her ex-husband, rebutting his version of events.
In the documents she filed this week, the 'Girl, Interrupted' star claimed she wanted to sell in part because she was uncomfortable being part of an alcohol-related business because of Brad's "acknowledged problem of alcohol abuse".
She insisted there had been no agreement like the one her former husband - who revealed in 2019 he had been to Alcoholics Anonymous in the wake of his marriage ending - had previously described about selling up.
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