Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Custody Battle Will Head to Trial

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are still in the midst of a custody battle regarding their six children, and that battle will now head to trial in December, TMZ reports.

The trial will begin on Dec. 4 and will reportedly find Jolie seeking sole physical custody of the kids while Pitt wants 50/50 joint custody. The trial is expected to take between two and three weeks before a judge handles the rest.

E! News reports that retired Judge John W. Odenkirk was appointed to be the judge in the couple’s custody trial through June 30, 2019. The judge will also deal with the property settlement, as Jolie and Pitt reportedly did not sign a prenup before their 2014 wedding.

“They’re still working together towards an out of court settlement,” a source said. “Angelina is not seeking sole custody of the kids, she still supports the reconciliation of the children with their father.”

It had previously been reported that Jolie was ordered by a judge to help the children repair and maintain their relationship with Pitt.

A judge in Jolie and Pitt’s divorce case stated that the children “not having a relationship with their father is harmful to them,” and added that “it is critical that each of them have a healthy and strong relationship with their father and mother.”

Documents noted, “If the minor children remain closed down to their father and depending on the circumstances surrounding this condition, it may result in a reduction of the time they spend with [Jolie] and may result in the Court ordering primary physical custody to [Pitt].”

Pitt and Jolie share six kids — Maddox, 17, Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 10. Jolie had requested full custody of the children when she filed for divorce from Pitt in September 2016, citing irreconcilable differences.

After the split was reported, it was reported that Pitt was involved in an incident that took place on a private plane in 2016. The incident allegedly involved Pitt and a child, with PEOPLE reporting that the actor allegedly got “verbally abusive” and “physical” with one of his six children.

“He takes the matter very seriously and says he did not commit any abuse of his children,” a source said of Pitt at the time. “It’s unfortunate that people involved are continuing to present him in the worst possible light.”

The FBI looked into the incident and closed its investigation without filing charges. Pitt was also cleared of any abuse allegations by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

Photo Credit: Getty / Dimitrios Kambouris