Actor Brad Pitt, 57, has been granted joint legal custody of his children with his former wife, actress Angelina Jolie, 45, after months of messy divorce proceedings between the duo.
Brad won custody after a private judge hired to oversee the case, John Ouderkirk, ruled in his favour.
However, reports clarified that this was purely a “tentative ruling” and that Angelina was continuing her fight in court.
Brad Pitt had earlier requested to modify their current custody arrangement so that he would be able to spend more time with their kids. The couple separated after Angelina filed for divorce in 2016. The two of them have been engaged in a legal battle for custody ever since.
Brad and Angelina Jolie are parents to Pax (17), Zahara (16), Shiloh (14) and twins Vivienne and Knox, who are 12 years old. Their oldest child Maddox, who is 19, was not subject to the custody decision. Maddox, Pax, and Zahara were adopted, while Shiloh, Vivienne and Knox are their biological children.
Media reports said the documents that were released recently indicated that Angelina was not happy with the verdict. The actress also accused the judge of not being impartial and claimed that he allegedly had a business relationship with one of Brad’s attorneys.
Angelina had reportedly said in the documents that the judge had “failed to adequately consider” that his verdict may not be in the best interest of their children since custody had been given to a person with a history of domestic violence. Earlier, Brad was accused of possible child abuse and investigated for it, but was cleared of all charges soon after.
Media reports said the filing in California’s Second District Court of Appeal read, “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.”
Angelina has also criticised the judge’s decision not to allow their children to testify in custody hearings.