According to recent court documents, Angelina Jolie says Brad Pitt attempted to get her to sign a nondisclosure agreement to keep her from discussing the mental and physical abuse he inflicted on her and their children in public.
In a complaint submitted on Tuesday in a court in Los Angeles, Jolie makes specific accusations of abuse against Pitt, including that he attempted to cover it up.
For selling her portion of their French vineyard, Chateau Miraval, Jolie is currently being sued by Pitt. He contends that Jolie lacked the authority to sell her interest in their house on her own to a separate corporation, but she insists that she did—and even offered him the chance to buy her out.
In according with the court papers, Pitt and Jolie came close to agreeing on a compromise over the property in 2021, but Pitt withdrew after she submitted a document in her child custody dispute titled “Offer of Proof and Authority re Testimony Regarding Domestic Violence.” He allegedly then attempted to reach an agreement containing a non-disparagement clause.
According to the 17-page document obtained by VICE News, “Jolie did offer to sell Pitt her interest in Chateau Miraval, but in exchange for his purchase, Pitt demanded she signs a nondisclosure agreement that would have contractually prohibited her from speaking about Pitt’s physical and emotional abuse of her and their children outside of court.”
The paper claims that Pitt also attempted to insert a provision allowing him to retain a percentage of the money he owes Jolie for a period of four years.
The NDA is described as “an abusive and domineering deal-breaker for Jolie” in the complaint.
The Lara Croft actor ultimately rejected the requirement and left, it claims. She later sold the third party her ownership interests in the property.
The counterclaim includes difficult-to-read charges of abuse and explains why Jolie initially filed for divorce from Pitt. According to the counterclaim, Pitt allegedly physically and emotionally mistreated Jolie and their children on a trip from Chateau Miraval in France to Los Angeles on September 14, 2016.
The incident allegedly began before the family boarded the plane when Pitt allegedly had a “confrontation” with one of their kids. Before he began verbally abusing her, Pitt reportedly asked Jolie what was wrong on the plane, according to the paper. An hour and a half later, Pitt motioned for Jolie to follow him to the back of the aircraft as he said, “Come here.”
The lawsuit claims that Pitt “seized Jolie by the head and shook her, then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again, before forcing her into the restroom wall.” Pitt then repeatedly struck the plane’s ceiling, which caused Jolie to come out of the restroom.
Another instance cited in the complaint was a youngster stepping up to defend Jolie before Pitt reportedly lunged at the youngster. Jolie asserts that she seized Pitt to get him to stop.
Pitt choked one of the kids and hit another one in the face before it was all done. A few of the kids begged Pitt to stop. All of them were terrified. Many others were sobbing,” the complaint claims, adding that Pitt occasionally screamed and used foul language toward his family on the plane.
He spilled beer on Jolie at one point and red wine and beer on the kids at another.
Pitt was roused when the flight was over by Jolie. He allegedly attempted to prevent the family from boarding before a young child insisted they get off. The letter said that after getting off the plane, Pitt hit one of their kids bodily once more, grabbed and shook Jolie, and called her a “bitch.” He apparently told his family, “Fuck you, fuck you all.” as well.
Five days after that, according to the countersuit, Jolie filed for divorce.
The FBI “concluded that the government had probable cause to charge Pitt with a federal crime for his conduct that day,” according to Jolie’s declaration. After the FBI’s investigation was over in 2016, various media sites stated that Pitt was not charged.
Criminal charges “would not be pursued owing to many circumstances,” according to a highly redacted FBI report that was made public in August of this year.
VICE News reached out to Pitt’s attorneys for comment, but none returned the call. However, according to the New York Times, one of Pitt’s attorneys, Anne Kiley, claimed that while Pitt has owned some prior activities, he would not take responsibility for things he did not commit.
