Angelina Jolie Allegedly Told Her Kids to ‘Avoid’ Brad Pitt During Visits

Angelina Jolie allegedly encouraged her children with Brad Pitt to “avoid” their father, a security guard who used to work for the celebrity couple claims in new court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight. Pitt’s lawyers claim in a new filing that former security guard Tony Webb was told by former contractors for the couple that Jolie had instructed her children not to speak with Pitt during custody visits. 

The documents, filed as part of the years-long legal battle between Jolie and Pitt over their Château Miraval vineyard, also claim Jolie attempted to threaten the guards into silent using non-disclosure agreements. Webb’s declaration claims that the security company owner, who worked for Jolie from 2000 to 2020 and currently works for Pitt, was approached by a Jolie aide named Michael Vieira to help dissuade two former bodyguards who had worked for Jolie through Webb from testifying in the actress’ custody battle. Pitt and Jolie share children Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 17, and 15-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

Court documents claim that Webb “received multiple calls from Jolie’s representative, who told Mr. Webb to remind his staff that they had entered into NDAs with Jolie and that if they testified in a custody proceeding, Jolie would sue them.” One of the staff members also allegedly told Webb that “he would testify about statements he overheard that Ms. Jolie made to the children, encouraging them to avoid spending time with Mr. Pitt during custody visits,” although Webb did not claim to have heard such comments himself. The documents claim that the two security contractors both testified despite the alleged threats and “shortly thereafter Jolie fired Mr. Webb’s company.”

Paul Murphy, an attorney for Jolie, told PEOPLE in a statement that Pitt’s “continued attempt to equate common NDAs for security personnel and housekeepers covering confidential information employees learn at work, with him demanding an expanded NDA to ensure the continued coverup of his deplorable actions remains shameful.” Murphy continued that the case is about “power and control” as opposed to NDA usage. “All Angelina has ever wanted was separation and health, with positive relationships between all members of their family, including Mr. Pitt,” the attorney continued. “She looks forward to the day when he is finally able to let her go.”

The latest legal filing comes a month after Jolie’s lawyers filed court documents claiming that Pitt had been “physically abusive” toward her before the alleged 2016 plane incident on a plane she said led her to file for divorce.