Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s protracted custody battle appears to be drawing to a close, with Pitt purportedly abandoning his quest for shared custody of their six children. Jolie, anticipated to retain primary custody, still faces Pitt’s ongoing legal action regarding their formerly jointly-owned winery, despite many of his claims being dismissed.
The high-profile couple, who split in 2016, has been embroiled in a contentious courtroom dispute. They share six children: Shiloh, twins Vivienne and Knox, Zahara, Pax, and Maddox.
Following years of acrimonious divorce proceedings, Pitt and Jolie seem to be nearing a resolution. Recent reports suggest that Pitt has withdrawn his pursuit of equal custody of their children.
Initially advocating for a 50/50 custody arrangement, Pitt has purportedly shifted his position, hinting at a potential resolution to their protracted legal battle. This implies that Angelina Jolie, aged 48, will retain primary physical custody of the children, while Pitt will be granted visitation rights.
A pivotal factor influencing their decision is the age of most of their children, with the majority having reached adulthood. Only Shiloh, aged 17, and twins Knox and Vivienne, both 15, are still minors, with Shiloh set to turn 18 in May 2024.
The older children—Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, and Zahara, 19—seem to have strained relationships with Pitt. Now legal adults, they are no longer bound by custody agreements. Zahara has chosen to go by the name Zahara Jolie rather than Zahara Jolie Pitt, indicating a potential distancing from Pitt’s surname.
Reports indicate that Pax, their adopted son, has had no contact with Pitt since a highly publicized incident on a private plane, which marked the end of Pitt and Jolie’s marriage. It has even been suggested that Pax no longer considers Pitt a parental figure.
In a private Instagram post from 2020, Pax referred to Pitt as a “despicable person,” alleging that his presence instilled fear in their younger siblings. He criticized the actor for lacking empathy and understanding of the impact of his actions on their family.
A representative from Pitt’s camp described the situation between him and the children as “textbook parental alienation,” suggesting that Jolie has deliberately prolonged the divorce proceedings until the children reach adulthood.
However, associates of Jolie have pushed back against this narrative, claiming that Pitt bears responsibility for the family rift. They assert that Jolie’s primary objective is to promote healing within the family and move forward from the current difficulties.
Apart from their custody battle, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been locked in a legal dispute over their once jointly-owned vineyard. The former couple has been entangled in a lengthy legal battle over the Château Miraval property and their shared winemaking ventures.
They acquired the property together in 2008 and maintained equal ownership until 2021, when Jolie decided to sell her portion. On October 5, 2021, Jolie finalized the sale of Nouvel, the company managing her shares in Miraval, to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli group owned by Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler, for $67 million.
In February 2022, Pitt took legal action against Jolie for selling the winery, seeking financial compensation, coverage of legal fees, and the reversal of Jolie’s sale of Miraval to Shefler. In June 2023, Pitt filed additional legal documents alleging that Jolie had intentionally undermined him and his stake in their winery. Pitt’s legal team claimed that Jolie’s sale of her share in the winery to Shefler was a strategic move to harm Pitt’s involvement in the business.
Following Pitt’s apparent legal victory on March 13, 2024, an insider familiar with the case revealed that a court in Los Angeles, California, ruled against Pitt’s expectations. Jolie’s opposition to his initial complaint led to the dismissal of five out of the seven claims Pitt had filed against her.
Jolie’s attorney, Murphy, issued a statement regarding the judge’s decision on Jolie’s demurrer. Murphy stated that most of Pitt’s claims were dismissed due to their lack of legal basis.
He emphasized that Pitt’s lawsuit was not primarily about a business dispute, but rather an attempt to conceal alleged serious abuse. Murphy expressed satisfaction with the judge’s ruling, which saw many of Pitt’s claims removed from the complaint.
Murphy also added, “Angelina truly harbors no ill-will toward Mr. Pitt, and hopes he will now release her from his frivolous lawsuit, stop his relentless attacks, and join her in helping their family heal in private.”
Brad Pitt has been given an opportunity by the court to amend and potentially strengthen some of the claims that were dismissed. However, according to a source, there is skepticism regarding the actor’s ability to make these claims legally viable.
While Pitt and Jolie’s legal battle over shared child custody appears to be nearing its end, the lawsuit Pitt filed against Jolie concerning their previously co-owned winery is ongoing. Despite most of Pitt’s claims being dismissed, the actress’s lawyer anticipates a favorable outcome.
