Brad Pitt Suffers Legal Loss to Angelina Jolie in Custody Case

The saga continues between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who have been battling in court for custody of their children for years now. This week, Pitt suffered a legal loss after he petitioned to challenge a decision on the ongoing battle. Entertainment Tonight reports that the California Supreme Court denied Pitt's request to review the California appellate court's ruling to disqualify the private judge he and Jolie chose to oversee their custody dispute.

Jolie's attorney, Robert Olson, told ET that the 46-year-old Eternals actress "welcomes" the decision and "is glad for the family to now move forward cooperatively." "Ms. Jolie is focused on her family and pleased that her children's wellbeing will not be guided by unethical behavior. She welcomes the California Supreme Court's decision to refuse review of the unanimous Court of Appeal decision," Olson said. "As reinforced by California's appellate courts, our judiciary prioritizes ethics and children's best interests, and won't tolerate judicial misconduct to reward the interests of a party. Ms. Jolie is glad for the family to now move forward cooperatively."

Pitt, 57, filed the request in September after Judge John Ouderkirk was disqualified from the custody case, which vacated all of his decisions — including a previous ruling that granted Pitt more time with his and Jolie's five minor children; Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 13.

The petition argued that disqualifying the judge "effectively upended the constitutionally authorized temporary judging system in California" and opened "the door to disqualification challenges at any point during a case, even if the party raising the motion has long been on notice about the alleged grounds for disqualification." But Jolie's attorneys previously argued that the judge, who had been Pitt and Jolie's private judge, could be biased in his rulings.

The denial of Pitt's petition is just the latest in the legal drama between the former couple, who finalized their divorce in 2019. Last month, they reached an agreement on selling their assets. While that does mean that they are now allowed to sell possessions owned during their marriage, things are still contentious in court with Pitt's company suing Jolie's company trying to sell their winery and estate in France, arguing that Jolie was trying to cut Pitt out of a money-making deal.

While there does not appear to be an end in sight for a custody agreement anytime soon, Jolie recently brought five of her and Pitt's kids on the red carpet at the Eternals premiere last week. Accompanied by 20-year-old Maddox, 16-year-old Zahara, 15-year-old Shiloh, 13-year-old Vivienne and 13-year-old Knox, the only child missing was their 17-year-old son Pax.