LOS ANGELES (AP) — Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement, ending one of the longest and most controversial divorces in Hollywood history, but all legal issues between the two have ended. It’s not resolved.
Jolie and Pitt signed a declaration of default filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, saying they had a written agreement regarding their conjugal and property rights. The settlement was first reported by People magazine.
“More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt,” Jolie’s lawyer, James Simon, said in a statement. “She and her children left behind all the property they shared with Mr. Pitt, and since then she has focused on finding peace and healing for her family. This started eight years ago. It’s just part of a long process. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but relieved that this part is over.”
The application states that she is waiving her right to receive financial support from her future spouse, but does not provide any other details. The judge must sign the contract. Pitt’s attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment late Monday night.
Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, were one of Hollywood’s most prominent pairs for 12 years, two of which were husband and wife. The Oscar winner has six children.
Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, claiming that Pitt physically abused her and her children after they boarded a private jet from Europe. FBI and Children’s Bureau officials investigated Pitt’s actions on the plane. Two months later, the FBI issued a statement saying it would no longer investigate, and U.S. attorneys filed no charges.
According to a heavily redacted FBI report obtained by The Associated Press in 2022, investigators provided prosecutors with a probable cause statement about Pitt, but after discussing the merits of the case, they decided not to file criminal charges. The parties have agreed.”
Jolie said in a subsequent court filing that she was “personally conflicted” about the dependent charge and chose not to press charges on behalf of her family, the documents said.
A person familiar with the Children’s Services investigation told The Associated Press in 2016 that the Children’s Services investigation concluded without finding any abuse.
In 2019, a judge declared Jolie and Pitt divorced and single, but said property division and child custody would need to be resolved separately.
Shortly after, a private judge the couple hired to handle the case issued a ruling that included equal custody of the children, but Jolie dismissed him from the case, citing an unreported conflict of interest. I filed a petition to have it removed. The Court of Appeals agreed, removed the judge and vacated the judgment. The couple had to start the process over again.
During the long divorce battle, four of the children became adults, eliminating the need for a custody agreement. The only minors left are 16-year-old twins Knox and Vivian. In June, one of her daughters, then known as Shiloh Nouvelle Jolie Pitt, successfully petitioned to have Pitt’s name removed from her name.
The details of the divorce have been kept largely secret, with the couple using a private judge (an increasingly common move among divorced celebrities in recent years). There has been no formal court action in the case for nearly a year, and there have been no signs that the two sides are close to reaching an agreement.
But some elements of their dispute came to light through a separate lawsuit filed by Pitt over Jolie’s sale of half of the French winery he owned. Pitt said he had wanted to buy Chateau Miraval, half of the winery, but abandoned negotiations and sold his portion to Tenuto del Mondo Wine Group. Ms Pitt said this was a “vindictive” and “unlawful” act that should not have been done without consent and that it had ruined her private space, which was her second home.
Jolie and her lawyers said Pitt required her to sign an extensive non-disclosure agreement about her as part of a proposed deal to cover up his abuse of her and her children.
The divorce agreement does not affect the winery case, and the legal battle between both stars could continue.
Publicly, Pitt and Jolie have been very tight-lipped about everything surrounding their breakup, despite active promotional tours for various projects.
In a 2017 interview with GQ, Pitt said he had a drinking problem at the time of the plane crash and breakup, but has since stopped drinking and has been going to therapy. He has not defended his actions on the family vacation.
The two were among the most elite stars in the movie industry when they started dating in 2004 after co-starring in the movie Mr. Martin, where they played a hitman and a married couple. And Mrs. Smith,” he maintained at the top of Hollywood’s A-list through his coupling. Jolie, star of “Maleficent” and “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” won an Oscar for her performance in 1999’s “Girl, Interrupted.”
Pitt, the star of “Fight Club” and “Inglourious Basterds,” continued to have success as an actor and producer after their split. He won his own Academy Award for 2019’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, a crowning achievement of awards season and some in the media say it’s redemption. This view led to the people’s great affection for him.
Jolie kept a low profile for several years after her divorce, directing several films and appearing in several more while focusing on raising her children. She was back in the Oscar conversation this year with her role as legendary soprano Maria Callas in “Maria.”
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