Brad Pitt’s Lawyer Gives Biting Response to Angelina Jolie’s Latest Attempt to Remove Ex From Custody Agreement

The custody battle between exes Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt is ongoing and contentious, and Jolie’s lawyers are currently trying to remove Judge John W. Ouderkirk from the case. Jolie’s lawyer, Robert Olson, has argued that Ouderkirk should be taken off the case due to allegations that he had worked with Pitt on other legal matters, making him no longer impartial. Ouderkirk recently ruled in Pitt’s favor, awarding the actor joint custody of five of he and Jolie’s six children. Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14, Vivienne, 12, and Knox, 12, are all affected, but Maddox is 19 and a legal adult and not subject to the custody agreement.

During a remote appellate court hearing on Friday, Olson again argued that Ouderkirk should be removed. “Until Ms. Jolie asked, what was going on was only known to the judge, the ARC and the opposing counsel … she was shocked that this was going on,” Olson said. “Ms. Jolie did not know anything that happened between counsel for Pitt and the judge.” However, Pitt’s lawyer, Theodore Boutrous, argued that Jolie knew about the potential conflict all along and that she was merely fighting it because the case wasn’t going the way she wanted. “Here in a child custody case that’s been going on for so long, the children are getting older,” he argued, “and to allow a delaying tactic like this would be extremely unjust. There were no surprises. Ms. Jolie and her counsel knew about the relationship and the grounds.”

The Ad Astra actor was awarded joint custody of their children in May. Us Weekly cited court documents that outlined the explanation for the judge’s ruling in the custody hearing. “[Jolie’s] testimony lacked credibility in many important areas, and the existing custody order between the parties must be modified, per Mr. Pitt’s request, in the best interests of the children,” the legal docs stated. Jolie previously fired back at Judge John Ouderkirk after he refused the children the opportunity to testify in the case. In court documents filed on May 24, Jolie alleged that the children could offer testimony that provides evidence paramount to their own well-being.

“Judge Ouderkirk denied Ms. Jolie a fair trial, improperly excluding her evidence relevant to the children’s health, safety, and welfare, evidence critical to making her case,” Jolie’s legal team stated the court documents. The actress reportedly argued that Judge Ouderkirk “failed to adequately consider” a section of California courts code that dictates not awarding custody to individuals with a history of domestic violence as it is not in the best interest of the children. No specific details were proved regarding the nature of the “evidence,” but Jolie had previously accused Pitt of domestic violence in court documents.