Inside Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s BITTER years-long legal feud as former couple FINALLY reaches a mediation agreement in their winery war
- Brad, 59, and Angelina, 48, started dating in 2005, wed in 2014, but split in 2016
- Their marriage ended after they got into an explosive argument on a private jet
- The former couple have been embroiled in a nasty custody war ever since
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have experienced an incredibly stormy few years filled with bombshell lawsuits and volatile courtroom showdowns – but it seems that the former couple may finally be sailing towards smoother seas.
The famous exes – who began dating in 2005 and tied the knot in 2014 – became embroiled in one of the most publicized legal battles in Hollywood history after their split in 2016, which saw them tussling over custody of their children as well as their Miraval winery.
At times, it appeared that the feud between Brad, 59, and Angelina, 48, would never reach an end – until they made a dramatic U-turn this week when DailyMail.com revealed that they have finally agreed to mediation in the battle over their vineyard.
The two stars have been duking it out in court for years, with the bitter battle stemming from Angelina’s decision to sell her stake in the French vineyard, which they had purchased together while they were dating in 2008, in 2021.
Brad initially claimed that she made the sale behind his back and alleged that his ex was trying to ‘intentionally harm’ the business’ reputation and ‘undermine’ his investment.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been intertwined in a nasty custody war over their six children for years. The former couple is seen with their kids in 2011
They recently agreed to mediation in their court battle over Angelina’s decision to sell her stake in the winery that they previously owned together. Brad is seen promoting the brand
In a countersuit for $350 million, her investment firm said the actor ‘acted like a petulant child’ after Angelina parted ways with the company, and accused him of ‘looting’ the wine business and using it as his ‘personal cashbox.’
All the while, Brad and Angelina have also been intertwined in a nasty custody war over their six children.
From the start, the Moneyball star and the Salt actress’ romance was controversial. They met on set of the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith – while he was still married to Jennifer Aniston – and almost immediately, rumors erupted that he had cheated on the Friends alum.
As the former couple reach an agreement in one of their legal brawls, FEMAIL recapped the many ups and downs they have faced together, and made a complete timeline of the stars’ messy divorce and ongoing legal proceedings
It was a love triangle that seemed to capture the entire nation – and while Brad started dating Angelina soon after he and Jennifer split, he has furiously denied that he was unfaithful to his ex.
Despite the allegations of infidelity, it seemed as though Brangelina was a match made in heaven, and for over a decade, they were Hollywood’s ‘it’ couple.
But their marriage was ultimately torn apart, in part, by the actor’s growing ‘booze problem’ – and it came to an explosive end after the pair got into an alleged physical altercation while on a private flight with their six kids.
Angelina later claimed that Brad ‘choked’ one of the children during the horrifying dispute and ‘struck’ another in the face, leaving her and the kids feeling like ‘hostages’ and towering in fear under a blanket for hours until they landed.
She also alleged that he grabbed her by the head, slammed her against a wall, and violently shook her at one point during the flight – which resulted in her injuring her back and elbow.
As the former couple reach an agreement in one of their legal brawls, FEMAIL went ahead and recapped the many ups and downs they have faced together.
From what lead to their shocking split and what we know about the now-infamous plane fight that ended it all to Angelina’s claims that Brad ‘physically and emotionally abused’ her and their kids and the nasty legal battle they’ve been embroiled in for over a decade – here’s a complete timeline of the stars’ divorce and legal proceedings.
The love triangle that captured the nation: Brad and Angelina fell for each other on set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith – while he was still married to Jennifer
Brad and Angelina met on set of the 2005 flick Mr. and Mrs. Smith (seen), while he was married to Jennifer Aniston, and they later admitted that they ‘fell in love’ while making the movie
Brad and Jennifer (seen in 2000) announced that they were divorcing soon after the movie wrapped, and rumors quickly spread that he had cheated on her with Angelina
Brad and Angelina met on set of the 2005 flick Mr. and Mrs. Smith, while he was married to Jennifer.
Soon after the movie wrapped filming, Brad and Jennifer announced that they were divorcing after five years of marriage – and when news hit the web that he and Angelina were dating just months later, it sparked a slew of rumors that the actor had cheated on the former Friends star with his Mr. and Mrs. Smith costar.
At the time, Brad and Jennifer shut down accusations that they were going their separate ways due to infidelity through a joint statement that read, ‘Our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media.’
Brad also furiously denied that he left Jennifer for Angelina, insisting that his feelings for her ‘came after’ he and his ex-wife split up.
It was a love triangle that seemed to capture the entire nation. And Angelina later confirmed that she and Brad did indeed fall for one another while making the spy thriller.
In an interview with the New York Times in 2008, she described Mr. and Mrs. Smith as ‘the movie where their parents fell in love’ when asked if her kids had seen it.
She also reflected on how their relationship started to Vogue in 2006, explaining, ‘I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened.
‘I think a few months in [to filming] I realized, “God, I can’t wait to get to work.” Anything we had to do with each other, we just found a lot of joy in it together and a lot of real teamwork. We just became kind of a pair.’
Brad and Angelina (seen in 2006) started dating soon after his split from Jennifer, but he has continuously denied that he was unfaithful to her
They welcomed three children together during their romance – Shiloh, now 17, in 2006, and twins Vivienne and Knox, now 15, in 2008. They’re seen with some of their kids in 2014
She insisted that ‘it took until the end of the movie shoot’ for them to ‘realize’ that they had feelings for one another and that it ‘a lot of serious consideration’ went into their decision to start dating.
‘It took until, really, the end of the shoot for us, I think, to realize that it might mean something more than we’d earlier allowed ourselves to believe,’ she continued.
They also adopted two more, Zahara, now 18, and Pax, now 19, and Brad legally adopted the son that Angelina had adopted before they got together, Maddox, now 21. They’re seen with Zahara and Maddox in 2007
‘And both knowing that the reality of that was a big thing, something that was going to take a lot of serious consideration.
‘We spent a lot of time contemplating and thinking and talking about what we both wanted in life and realized that we wanted very, very similar things.’
Jennifer detailed the pain that she felt over Brad getting with Angelina so quickly after their split to Vanity Fair around the same time, and she admitted, ‘I would be a robot if I said I didn’t feel moments of anger, hurt, of embarrassment.
‘I just don’t know what happened. There’s a lot I don’t understand, a lot I don’t know, and probably never will know, really.’
Brad and Angelina were together for nearly a decade before they tied the knot in August 2014 during a secret ceremony in the South of France.
They welcomed three children together during their romance – Shiloh, now 17, in 2006, and twins Vivienne and Knox, now 15, in 2008.
They also adopted two more, Zahara, now 18, and Pax, now 19, and Brad legally adopted the son that Angelina had adopted before they got together, Maddox, now 21.
The flight that ended it all: The actress filed for divorce after they got into an explosive argument on a private plane, and she claimed he ‘choked’ one of their kids and grabbed her by the head and shook her
In August 2016, after 11 years together, Brad and Angelina shocked the world when they announced that they were going their separate ways. They’re seen in November 2015
In August 2016, after 11 years together, Brad and Angelina shocked the world when they announced that they were going their separate ways.
Angelina officially filed for divorce a month later, citing irreconcilable differences, with her lawyer stating at the time, ‘This decision was made for the health of the family. She will not be commenting, and asks that the family be given its privacy at this time.’
Soon after, bombshell reports hit the web that claimed Brad was ‘under investigation for allegedly getting verbally abusive and physical with his children.’
It was said that he and Angelina had gotten into an explosive fight while flying on a 12-hour journey from Nice, France, to Los Angeles, California, on the family’s private plane earlier that month – which lead to an altercation between him and Maddox.
Sources told TMZ at the time that Brad ‘got wasted’ and ‘went wild, screaming and getting physical with the kids.’
‘Shortly after the plane took off, Brad and Angelina began arguing and Maddox jumped up to verbally defend his mom,’ the outlet reported.
‘We’re told Brad then lunged at the boy and Angelina jumped in between them to block her husband. Brad connected in some fashion with his son.’
After a lengthy investigation, the FBI ultimately cleared Brad of all child abuse allegations in November 2016.
Angelina later claimed Brad ‘chocked’ one of their kids and ‘struck’ another in the face during a violent dispute on the family’s private jet. They’re seen getting on a jet years earlier, in 2007
‘The FBI has conducted a review of the circumstances and will not pursue further investigation. No charges have been filed in this matter,’ the organization said.
During Brad and Angelina’s lengthy legal battle, more details about what occurred on the now-infamous flight was brought to light years later.
In a series of court documents, Angelina alleged that Brad ‘choked’ one of her children during the violent dispute, ‘struck’ another in the face, and grabbed her by the head and shook her – which left the children traumatized and resulted in her injuring her back and elbow.
‘Throughout the long, overnight flight, Brad was physically and emotionally abusive to Angelina and their children, who were then between the ages of eight and 15,’ the legal docs claimed.
‘Brad pulled her into the bathroom and began yelling at her. Brad grabbed Angelina by the head and shook her, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall.
‘He then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Angelina to leave the bathroom.
‘As she exited, one of their children asked, “Are you OK, mommy?” Brad yelled back, “No, mommy’s not OK” and started deriding Angelina with insults.’
Angelina said that when one of the children spoke up in her defense, Brad ‘lunged’ at the child, so she grabbed him to try to stop him.
‘To get her off his back, Brad threw himself backwards into the airplane’s seats, injuring her back and elbow,’ the documents continued.
Angelina (seen with Brad and the kids in 2015) also alleged that he grabbed her by the head, slammed her against a wall, and violently shook her at one point during the flight
‘The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Brad choked one of the children and struck another in the face.
‘Some of the children pleaded with him to stop. They were all frightened. Many were crying.’
For the rest of the flight, ‘to avoid Brad’s wrath,’ Angelina said she and the children ‘sat still and silent under blankets,’ and recalled feeling ‘scared’ and ‘like a hostage.’
Her lawyers wrote: ‘Nobody dared to go to the bathroom. Brad periodically emerged from the back of the plane to yell and swear at them.
‘At one point, he poured beer on Angelina. At another, he poured beer and red wine on the children. After many tense hours, he finally fell asleep.’
Upon landing, Angelina said she woke him up and told him she and the children were going to a hotel instead of to their home.
‘He shouted that nobody was getting off the plane and prevented the family from deplaning for about 20 minutes,’ the court documents stated.
‘After a child intervened and demanded to leave, Brad finally relented. But once outside the plane door, he again physically abused one of their children.
‘He also grabbed and shook Angelina by the head and shoulders, causing one of the children to beg, “Don’t hurt her.”
‘He let her go, but then called her a “b***h,” before adding, “F**k you, f**k you all.”‘
Brad’s rep called Angelina’s account ‘completely untrue’ to CNN at first, but then released an amended statement to the publication that read, ‘Angelina’s story continues to evolve each time she tells it.
‘Brad has accepted responsibility for what he did but will not for things he didn’t do. He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation.
‘Thankfully, the various public authorities she 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.’
Following the split, Brad entered into Alcoholics Anonymous and has since stopped drinking completely.
The ongoing custody war: The exes have battled it out in court for six years, and were forced to start from scratch after finally reaching an agreement when Angelina had the judge’s ruling thrown out
Since splitting in 2016, Brad and Angelina have been embroiled in a years-long bitter custody battle over their six kids. Angelina is seen with all of the kids except Pax in 2021
Since splitting in 2016, Brad and Angelina have been embroiled in a years-long bitter custody battle over their six kids.
Within weeks of their split, the couple reached a temporary custody agreement which gave Angelina physical custody of all six children.
Brad was allowed ‘therapeutic visitations’ with the kids ‘as determined by the family’s therapist,’ Entertainment Online reported at the time. He also agreed to participate in random drug and alcohol testing and therapy.
Around that time, Brad requested that all the documents relating to their custody case be sealed – which was denied by a judge.
In response, Angelina’s lawyer said Brad’s attempts to hide the documents stemmed from him being ‘terrified that the public would learn the truth about him.’
But in 2017, things seemed to be a bit more peaceful between the exes because they both agreed to sign a document that would keep ‘all court documents confidential’ to ‘preserve the privacy rights of their children.’
In their first joint statement since their ugly split, the former couple said: ‘[We] are committed to act as a united front to effectuate recovery and reunification.’
Brad spoke out about the breakup for the first time publicly during an interview with GQ in May 2017, and he explained, ‘[Me and Angelina] have been able to work together to sort this out. We’re both doing our best.
‘I heard one lawyer say, “No one wins in court – it’s just a matter of who gets hurt worse.”
‘And it seems to be true, you spend a year just focused on building a case to prove your point and why you’re right and why they’re wrong, and it’s just an investment in vitriolic hatred.
‘I just refuse. And fortunately my partner in this agrees. It’s just very, very jarring for the kids, to suddenly have their family ripped apart.
‘If anyone can make sense of it, we have to with great care and delicacy, building everything around that.
In May 2021, Brad and Angelina were officially granted joint custody of their six kids – but the judge’s ruling was later thrown out which meant the custody case had to start over
The court said there had been an ‘ethical breach’ after they discovered that Judge Ouderkirk (seen) had failed to disclose that he had a prior business relationship with Brad’s lawyers
‘Our focus is that everyone come out stronger and better people – there is no other outcome.’
In June 2018, a judge ruled that Brad must be allowed to have more time with his kids, as well as all six of their cell phone numbers so he could call and text them without Angelina’s supervision.
At the time, they were all living in London with Angelina while she was filming the movie Maleficent 2.
The judge stated that the children ‘not having a relationship with their father is harmful to them’ and that ‘it is critical that each of them have a healthy and strong relationship with their father and mother.’
‘If the minor children remain closed down to their father and depending on the circumstances surrounding this condition, it may result in a reduction of the time they spend with Angelina and may result in the court ordering primary physical custody to Brad,’ the judge added.
While it briefly seemed that they had reached a resolution, their court battle was far from over.
A month later, Angelina filed new court documents stating that Brad hadn’t paid ‘meaningful child support’ since their divorce.
However, he insisted that he had given her more than $1.3 million for their kids’ expenses, as well as an $8 million loan so she could buy new property.
But Angelina buckled down and said he wasn’t meeting ‘his legal obligations for child support.’
In May 2021, Brad and Angelina were officially granted joint custody of their six kids – however, Angelina argued that Judge John Ouderkirk ‘refused to hear [the children’s] input as to their experiences, needs, or wishes as to their custody fate’ during the hearing.
In a court filing, her lawyers added, ‘Judge Ouderkirk denied Angelina a fair trial, improperly excluding her evidence relevant to the children’s health, safety, and welfare, evidence critical to making her case.’
One month later, the California appeals court ruled in the actress’ favor and threw out Judge Ouderkirk’s decision – which meant the whole custody battle had to start from scratch.
The court said there had been an ‘ethical breach’ after they discovered that he had failed to disclose that he had a prior business relationship with Brad’s lawyers.
The legal battle over their winery: Brad sued Angelina after he claimed she sold her shares of their joint vineyard without informing him first
Aside from their legal battle over who should get custody of their kids, Brad and Angelina have also been intertwined in a court showdown over the French winery they used to own together
The couple purchased the vineyard, called Chateau Miraval, together in 2008 for around $27 million, and became 50/50 owners of the property as well as its wine making enterprise
But in 2021, Brad sued Angelina over an alleged breach of contract, after he claimed that she had sold her shares of the company without informing him
Aside from their legal battle over who should get custody of their kids, Brad and Angelina have also been intertwined in a court showdown over the French winery they used to own together, called Chateau Miraval.
The couple purchased the vineyard, located in the South of France, together in 2008 for around $27 million, and became 50/50 owners of the property as well as its wine making enterprise.
But in 2021, Brad sued Angelina over an alleged breach of contract, after he claimed that she had sold her shares of the company without informing him.
The movie star accused his ex of trying to ‘intentionally harm’ the business’ reputation and ‘undermine’ his investment while ‘unjustly enriching herself.’
‘Brad – through significant financial investment and years of sweat equity – has built a highly successful family-owned business,’ his lawyers wrote.
‘Miraval has correspondingly grown massively in value since 2008 and is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
‘Angelina pursued and then consummated the purported sale in secret, purposely keeping Brad in the dark, and knowingly violating his contractual rights.’
In a leaked email obtained by Vanity Fair, Angelina allegedly told Brad on January 21, 2021, that she had plans to sell her stake in the company because she didn’t want to be involved in ‘a business that is centered around alcohol’ or revisit the place that ‘marked the beginning of the end of their family.’
He said they had a ‘mutual and binding commitment’ to the $160 million business and agreed not to sell up without the other’s permission, but Angelina said that ‘it didn’t exist’
The outlet reported that Brad planned on buying Angelina’s shares from her, but after she refused to sign an NDA that would prevent her from publicly speaking about their infamous plane argument, the negotiation fell apart.
A source told the publication that Brad wanted the NDA in effect ‘to ensure she doesn’t damage the value of [the winery] after being paid for it.’
She then sold them to Tenute del Mondo – the wine division of the Stoli group, owned by Russian businessman Yuri Shefler – in October 2021 for $67 million.
In his suit, Brad alleged that she backed out from their deal because she was angry about their custody ruling, and that he found out that she had sold her shares to Stoli Group through the media.
He said they had a ‘mutual and binding commitment’ to the $160 million business and agreed not to sell up without the other’s permission, but Angelina said that ‘no such agreement ever existed.’
He also claimed that Stoli Group has since ‘attempted a hostile takeover of the wine business.’
In response, her lawyers stated, ‘Still today, and in the seven years since that fateful plane ride, Brad personally has never publicly denied that it happened.
‘The reality is that Pitt refused to complete the Miraval sale with Angelina unless she agreed to being silenced about the abuse.’
Earlier this month, Angelina’s investment company Nouvel filed a $350 million lawsuit against Brad, claiming that he ‘wasted the company’s assets’ and ‘spent millions’ of dollars on ‘vanity projects’ like swimming pool renovations and building a recording studio on the property.
They accused him of ‘looting’ the wine business and using it as his ‘personal cashbox.’
‘Incensed that Angelina sold Nouvel to Stoli rather than him, Brad has acted like a petulant child, refusing to treat Nouvel as an equal partner in the business,’ court documents stated.
Now, after years of battling it out in court, the couple has finally reached a mediation agreement.
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