Is Angelina Jolie Suing the FBI Over 2016 Brad Pitt Plane Incident?

Angelina Jolie may be suing the Federal Bureau of Investigation for information about an alleged incident with ex Brad Pitt. Entertainment Tonight reportedly obtained court documents revealing that a woman identified as Jane Doe is suing the FBI for information on a case of alleged domestic violence that occurred several years ago aboard a private jet. It resembles the incident that led to Jolie and Pitt’s separation. 

Court documents state that “Jane Doe” claims “public status” and wishes to remain anonymous. Through the Freedom of Information Act, the plaintiff seeks information regarding the agency’s investigation of a domestic violence incident several years ago involving her and her minor children as victims and witnesses.

While the plaintiff, her then-husband, and their children traveled via private aircraft, Doe claims her husband assaulted her and her children physically and verbally. According to Doe, the FBI opened a probe but then “publicly announced that it was closing its investigation of the incident without further action” without notifying her. 

Doe’s lawsuit states that her FOIA request is part of an attempt to “understand the FBI’s investigation and obtain information necessary for her children to receive medical care and trauma therapy” in the wake of the incident. She contends that the responses to her request have been “legally insufficient,” and she’s filed a lawsuit challenging the defendants’ refusal to provide additional records.

A portion of the lawsuit explains why the suit was filed anonymously. “The potential exposure of private details about the assault and its impact on the children’s physical and mental health risks great harm to the children,” and that the risk to her children “is greater still due to plaintiff’s public status.”

ET reports that a source familiar with Jolie and Pitt’s ongoing custody dispute said the FBI investigated Pitt in 2016 regarding an incident aboard their private plane, concluding that Pitt did not commit any crimes. The source stressed that both sides of the conflict were given information regarding this investigation. An FBI spokesperson told ET that agency policy “prohibits comment on pending litigation.” 

Amanda Kramer, the attorney who filed the lawsuit on Jane Doe’s behalf, told ET, “I am unable to comment on the identity of Jane Doe, who has sought to preserve the family’s privacy. Our position is that victims and survivors should be able to access federal agency records of crimes they experienced or reported, as is common at the state level, so they can advocate for health and trauma care and legal protections for their children and themselves.”

Pitt and Jolie’s plane incident occurred in September 2016. The FBI investigated Pitt over claims that he had an altercation with his then 15-year-old son Maddox while boarding a private jet, though no specific details were revealed. Pitt was not charged criminally with the allegations, but the claims can still be raised in court to determine custody.