Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have finalized their divorce settlement eight years after Jolie initiated the process to dissolve their two-year marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
On Monday, December 30, Jolie, aged 49, and Pitt, aged 61, legally concluded their marriage, as confirmed by Jolie’s legal team.
“More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt. She and the children left all the properties they had shared with Mr. Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family,” stated James Simon, Jolie’s attorney.
“This is just one part of a long ongoing process that began eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved that this part is over.”
A person close to Jolie remarked, “She doesn’t speak ill of [Pitt] publicly or privately. She’s been trying hard to find light after a dark time.”
Jolie’s petition for divorce was filed on September 19, 2016, shortly after an incident on a private flight where Pitt allegedly behaved abusively towards her and their six children. Despite investigations, no charges were filed against Pitt, and Jolie chose not to pursue charges.
According to Jolie’s attorneys, since the filing, “neither Jolie nor any of the children have ever stepped foot back in Miraval, which was their home until then.”
In a joint statement four months after the divorce proceedings began, they announced they had agreed to handle their divorce privately and to keep subsequent details confidential by employing a private judge.
“The parties and their counsel have signed agreements to preserve the privacy rights of their children and family by keeping all court documents confidential and engaging a private judge to make any necessary legal decisions and to facilitate the expeditious resolution of any remaining issues,” according to the statement.
“The parents are committed to acting as a united front to effectuate recovery and reunification,” the statement concluded.
Before their 2017 privacy agreement, Pitt and Jolie faced intense divorce negotiations over custody and other issues, which involved exchanging severe accusations in Los Angeles Superior Court filings.
In January 2017, they consented to seal records concerning their six children, most of whom are now adults: Maddox, 23; Pax, 21; Zahara, 19; Shiloh, 18; and 16-year-old twins, Vivienne and Knox.
Despite being declared legally single in 2019 after having their divorce bifurcated, the exes have continued to dispute custody and legal matters concerning their $164 million French estate and winery, Château Miraval.
Pitt filed a lawsuit against Jolie in February 2022 after she sold her stake in Château Miraval. Jolie countered with a lawsuit alleging Pitt was engaging in a vengeful campaign against her.
The countersuit was initiated by Nouvel, a company established by Jolie, accusing Pitt of strategically trying to take over Château Miraval post-divorce.
A source close to Pitt described the countersuit as “This is just the latest in a series of deliberate efforts to misdirect, recycle, and reposition the truth of what has happened over the last six years, thinking that reasonable people would be duped by these obvious misrepresentations.”
In a legal document, Jolie described Pitt’s lawsuits as “frivolous, malicious, and part of a problematic pattern.”
Jolie insists that there was never any private agreement requiring mutual consent before selling their Miraval shares.
The disputes over Miraval have persisted throughout 2024, separate from their divorce proceedings.
In November, Jolie achieved a legal victory when a judge ruled that Pitt must release documents, including emails and texts, that Jolie’s lawyer, Paul Murphy, asserts will substantiate her abuse claims and a long-term cover-up by Pitt.
That same month, Pitt also gained an advantage when attempts by Jolie to dismiss the lawsuit were denied, moving the case closer to a trial that may reveal a formal agreement over the sale of their shares, which Pitt’s representatives claim validates his allegations.
Pitt’s attorneys have criticized Jolie’s request for documents as an overly dramatic and unfounded probe.
