Jolie Alleges 'History of Physical Abuse' by Pitt

Thursday motion claims Pitt tried to secure her silence through failed winery deal
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 5, 2024 10:27 AM CDT
Jolie Alleges More Abuse by Pitt
This combination photo shows Angelina Jolie at a premiere in Los Angeles on Sept. 30, 2019, left, and Brad Pitt at a special screening on Sept. 18, 2019.   (AP Photo/File)

The fateful 2016 plane ride that would mark the end of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's 10-year relationship is back in the news thanks to a new court filing in which Jolie claims it was the first time Pitt "turned his physical abuse on the children," but certainly not the first time he abused her. "Pitt's history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before," according to the document filed Thursday in response to a lawsuit from Pitt. It claims Pitt sought to conceal the abuse by trying to force Jolie to sign an expansive non-disclosure agreement that would keep her from speaking about it outside of a courtroom, per the Los Angeles Times.

Pitt, who was then in negotiations to buy Jolie's share of their French winery Chateau Miraval, conditioned the sale on Jolie signing the NDA, arguing his personal reputation was tied to Miraval's business, according to the filing. It adds Jolie, who'd agreed to sign an NDA requiring her to not disparage the Miraval business, refused to sign the more expansive version. She ultimately sold her stake in the winery to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of Stoli Group, which prompted legal action from Pitt. He claimed the couple had agreed not to sell their stakes in the winery without the other's consent and that Jolie reneged on negotiations in order to "seize profits she had not earned and returns on an investment she did not make."

But Jolie, who claims there was no agreement requiring two-party consent to the sale, argues Pitt "blew up his own deal." During the negotiations, Jolie had filed sealed evidence in the couple's separate custody dispute, which "caused Pitt to fear that the information could eventually become public," hence the request for an expanded NDA, the motion reads. "By refusing to buy her interest but then suing her, Mr. Pitt put directly at issue why that NDA was so important to him and what he hoped it would bury: his abuse of Ms. Jolie and their family," Jolie's attorney, Paul Murphy, tells CNN. Murphy also accuses Pitt of "unrelenting efforts to control and financially drain" his ex, per the Times. (More Angelina Jolie stories.)

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