Angelina Jolie details abuse allegations against Brad Pitt in countersuit
Angelina Jolie has alleged Brad Pitt "choked" one of their six children during a plane journey in 2016.
As part of a filing relating to the former couple's legal battle over a French winery submitted to a Los Angeles court on Tuesday, lawyers for the Girl, Interrupted actress claimed that talks to sell her stake in the business collapsed over her refusal to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
Jolie alleged the NDA would have "prohibited" her from "speaking outside of court about Pitt's physical and emotional abuse of her and their children".
According to court documents obtained by The New York Times, Jolie claimed Pitt was verbally and physically abusive towards her and two of their children while on a flight from France to the U.S. in September 2016.
"Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face (and) grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her," she claimed. "(Pitt) poured beer on Jolie...he poured beer and red wine on the children."
Jolie, 47, filed for divorce from Pitt after two years of marriage on 19 September 2016, citing irreconcilable differences.
In the countersuit, the star also alleged The Curious Case of Benjamin Button actor had become "too deferential" to their children and yelled at her in a bathroom.
"Pitt grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall," the filing states. "Pitt then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Jolie to leave the bathroom."
Jolie's allegations against Pitt were investigated by authorities at the time but no charges were made.
And while the actress/activist claimed she did not want to bring up the allegations against the 58-year-old, she felt compelled to "publicly defend herself" after he filed a lawsuit in June in which he alleged she "sought to inflict harm" on him by selling a stake in the Château Miraval vineyard they invested in back in 2011 to a "stranger".
Lawyers for Pitt have not yet responded to the countersuit.
