Anatomy Of A (Celebrity) Divorce: Jolie-Pitt Part 1: The Case Filing

At the end of the day, celebrities, like the rest of us, experience conflict in their personal relationships. They have similar problems, issues, and concerns when dissolving these relationships. The next series of blogs will examine and review the events of the ongoing divorce of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The events unfolding in their divorce case are emblematic of the typical events in a case involving anyone else. Perhaps they don’t occur on a privately owned jet, but nonetheless. . .

*Jolie’s filing of the divorce case

On September 19, 2016, Angelina Jolie, 41, filed divorce papers in a Los Angeles County Court against spouse Brad Pitt, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split after a two-year marriage and twelve-year relationship. Jolie listed Sept. 15 as the date of the couple’s separation.

*Jolie’s requests regarding alimony, child custody, and child support

Jolie requested sole physical custody of the couple’s six children – Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 8. She requested further that the court grant Pitt visitation rights. The actress did not request child or spousal support.

*Child abuse investigation

Pitt is currently under investigation by the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services after being accused of verbal abuse with his son, Maddox, during an incident September 14, 2016, on the couple’s private plane. While not directly commenting on whether or not he verbally abused Maddox, Pitt specifically denied striking him.

*Legal representation

Both Angelina and Brad respectively hired two of the giants among Hollywood divorce attorneys. Jolie retained Laura Wasser, known as the “Disso Queen” (for dissolution of marriage), while Pitt hired Lance Spiegel who has represented Charlie Sheen, Eva Longoria and Michael Jackson in years past.

*Pitt’s answer

In a statement made in reaction to Jolie’s filing, Pitt stated that his focus is on the “well-being of our kids.” As the deadline came for Pitt to file a response to Jolie’s petition, to the surprise of some, no document was filed by Pitt. Sources initially reported that Pitt did not initially file an answer to Jolie’s divorce petition because he was afraid that it would cause great psychological damage to their children.

However, Pitt ended up filing a response to Jolie’s petition after all, including a request for joint custody of the couple’s six children. Of course, like most states, including Florida, California courts favor joint custody arrangements, so Pitt may hold the cards.

Florida courts encourage parents to devise a time-sharing schedule that is mutually satisfactory to both parties. A schedule should give a child frequent and continuing contact with both parents, while the age of a child typically determines the length and frequency of visits. If two parents cannot agree on a time-sharing schedule, A Florida court will make this determination.

The Men’s Divorce Law Firm of Orlando, Florida, can help ensure that your rights are protected in the negotiation, preparation, and drafting of a children’s time-sharing schedule in a divorce proceeding. Call 321-DIVORCE today to schedule a consultation and follow our Twitter page for more insights about divorce and family law.