Angeline Jolie says judge in Brad Pitt divorce won’t let children testify

Angelina Jolie criticised a decide who's deciding on little one custody in her divorce with Brad Pitt, saying in a court docket submitting that the decide refused to permit their youngsters to testify.

Jolie, who has sought to disqualify Decide John Ouderkirk from the divorce case, mentioned within the submitting that he declined to listen to proof she says is related to the kids’s security and well-being earlier than issuing a tentative ruling. The paperwork don’t elaborate on what that proof could also be.

“Judge Ouderkirk denied Ms. Jolie a fair trial, improperly excluding her evidence relevant to the children’s health, safety, and welfare, evidence critical to making her case,” in accordance with the submitting in California’s Second District Courtroom of Enchantment.

The actress additionally mentioned the decide “has failed to adequately consider” a piece of the California courts code, which says it's detrimental to the perfect curiosity of the kid if custody is awarded to an individual with a historical past of home violence.

Her submitting didn't give particulars about what it was referring to, however her legal professionals submitted a doc underneath seal in March that purportedly gives extra info.

Jolie sought a divorce in 2016, days after a disagreement broke out on personal flight ferrying the actors and their youngsters from France to Los Angeles. Pitt was accused of being abusive towards his then-15-year-old son through the flight, however investigations by little one welfare officers and the FBI have been closed with no costs being filed in opposition to the actor. Jolie’s lawyer mentioned on the time that she sought a divorce “for the health of the family.”

Her new submitting says the decide has “refused to hear the minor teenagers’ input as to their experiences, needs, or wishes as to their custody fate,” citing a California code that claims a baby 14 or over must be allowed to testify in the event that they need to.

Three of Jolie and Pitt’s six youngsters are youngsters, 17-year-old Pax, 16-year-old Zahara, and 14-year-old Shiloh. The oldest, Maddox, is nineteen and never topic to the custody choice. Additionally they have 12-year-old twins, Vivienne and Knox.

In response to Jolie’s submitting, Pitt’s attorneys mentioned: “Ouderkirk has conducted an extensive proceeding over the past six months in a thorough, fair manner and reached a tentative ruling and order after hearing from experts and percipient witnesses.”

Pitt’s submitting mentioned the decide discovered Jolie’s testimony “lacked credibility in many important areas, and the existing custody order between the parties must be modified, per Mr. Pitt’s request, in the best interests of the children.”

It says Jolie’s objections and additional delays in reaching an association would “work grave harm upon the children, who will be further denied permanence and stability.”

It’s not clear what the present custody association is as a result of the court docket seals most recordsdata. When the divorce course of started, Pitt sought joint custody and Jolie sought main bodily custody — which means the kids would reside greater than half the time together with her. However modifications have been made that haven't been made public.

Peter Harvey, a lawyer for Jolie who's near the case however circuitously concerned, mentioned the actress “supports joint custody” however the state of affairs is difficult and he can’t go into element as a result of the court docket proceedings are underneath seal.

Divorce legal professionals for each side declined to touch upon the brand new filings.

Harvey mentioned that Jolie’s household struggles have prompted her to take a extra lively function in altering the regulation’s method to custody points.

“Ms. Jolie has been working privately for four and a half years to both heal her family and to fight for improvements to the system to ensure that other families do not experience what hers has endured,” mentioned Harvey, a former lawyer basic of New Jersey who has been working with Jolie on coverage points.

Jolie has sought to disqualify Ouderkirk, a personal decide she and Pitt selected to keep up their privateness, arguing that he has an improper enterprise relationship with one in all Pitt’s attorneys.

She mentioned in Monday’s submitting that if the tentative custody choice is made last by Ouderkirk, she is going to enchantment it.

Jolie, 45, and Pitt, 57, have been amongst Hollywood’s most distinguished {couples} for 12 years. They'd been married for 2 years when Jolie filed for divorce. They have been declared divorced in April 2019, after their legal professionals requested for a judgment that allowed a married couple to be declared single whereas different points remained, together with funds and little one custody.