Angelina Jolie’s legal team filed new court documents Thursday, alleging Brad Pitt was physically abusive toward her well before their infamous 2016 plane incident.
Jolie alleged Pitt refused to allow Jolie to sell her portion of their Chateau Miraval French winery unless she signed documents that would prevent her from publicly speaking of his alleged abuse. Jolie’s team made bombshell allegations against Pitt, alleging he was pressuring them to sign an “onerous,” and “expansive” NDA that proposed the cover-up of his “personal misconduct, whether related to Miraval or not,” according to Page Six.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie attend a private reception as costumes and props from Disney’s “Maleficent” are exhibited in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital at Kensington Palace on May 8, 2014 in London, England. Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images
Angelina Jolie (R) and Brad Pitt attend “The Tree Of Life” premiere during the 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 16, 2011 in Cannes, France. Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
In 2016, the celebrity couple made the headlines when Jolie accused Pitt of becoming abusive toward her and their mutual children while aboard a private plane. Their divorce proceedings soon followed. The pair have been embattled in legal disputes over land, as well as a custody battle surrounding their children.
Jolie is now claiming the abuse began long before reports of the incident that transpired on the plane.
Brad Pitt and his wife Angelina Jolie arrive for the premiere of “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” during the 33rd Deauville American Film Festival on September 03, 2007 in Deauville , France. Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt attend the Cinema for Peace Gala ceremony at the Konzerthaus Am Gendarmenmarkt during day five of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival on February 13, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Cinema for Peace
“While Pitt’s history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family’s September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles, this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well. Jolie then immediately left him,” the document said, according to Page Six.
Jolie’s lawyers alleged Pitt wanted her to “contractually bind herself” to silence about their relationship after he discovered she submitted a sealed filing consisting of “emails, summaries of the family’s expected testimony and other evidence” intended to be used for their child custody dispute, according to Page Six.
Angelina Jolie as they arrive for the screening of the movie “The Assasination of Jessie James by the coward Robert Ford” Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images
Angelina Jolie (L) and Brad Pitt attend an official Academy Screening of BY THE SEA hosted by The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences on November 3, 2015 in New York City. Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
“Mr. Pitt refused to purchase Ms. Jolie’s interest when she would not be silenced by his NDA,” Jolie’s attorney, Paul Murphy said in a statement issued to Page Six.
“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,” Murphy said. (RELATED: ‘Lot Of Healing’: Angelina Jolie Reveals Why She Pumped The Brakes On Her Acting Career)
Thursday’s court filing claimed Jolie “never pressed charges” against Pitt because “she believed the best course was for Pitt to accept responsibility and help the family recover from the post-traumatic stress he caused,” according to Page Six.