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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were among Hollywood’s most loved couples. They dated for 12 years before their short-lived marriage of two years ended. Jolie shocked the world when she filed for divorce in 2016 – their legal battles have continued since then.
They were hailed as one of Hollywood’s iconic power couples, sharing a deep connection and expanding their family through adoption and biological means. Collectively, they nurtured a family of six children, including daughters Zahara Marley and Shiloh Nouvel, sons Maddox and Pax Thien, and twins Knox Léon and Vivienne Marcheline.
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As the ongoing custody case between the former couple unfolds, Angelina Jolie has raised concerns about potential bias in the judge overseeing her case with ex-husband Brad Pitt. She is now actively advocating for change and has called upon California’s Governor Gavin Newsom to support ‘Piqui’s Law’ in a two-page letter dated September 29.
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This proposed legislation aims to prevent children from being placed in ‘reunification camps,’ where they might be compelled to reside with an abusive parent. Additionally, the law seeks to institute comprehensive domestic violence training programs for judicial officers and mediators, emphasizing the significance of addressing child abuse and trauma in such cases.
As reported by Daily Mail, Angelina Jolie wrote in her letter, “You will be aware that Piqui’s Law derives its name from a 5-year-old boy who suffered a tragic fate, killed by his father in April of 2017. Piqui’s mother, Ana Estevez, fought unsuccessfully within the California family court to secure protection for her child. Over the past six years, Ana has collaborated with California legislators to ensure that authorities do not overlook or dismiss the signs of abuse, signs that tragically result in harm and death for numerous children in our country.”
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Daily Mail report cited a source claiming that the ‘Girl, Interrupted’ actress is pushing for the legislation following her experience with Los Angeles Judge John Ouderkirk, who refused to let her children testify about domestic violence they suffered at the hands of their father. The source claimed, “This is personal to her, and for good reason,” citing her disagreements with ‘biased’ Ouderkirk, who was removed from the case after he failed to disclose his business dealings with Pitt’s attorneys.
Jolie asserted that Ouderkirk had refused her children the chance to provide testimony, even though California law permitted children aged 14 and older to do so. In response, she contested the judge’s preliminary custody ruling and subsequently filed a petition with the appellate court requesting his removal from the case. In July 2021, her request led to the judge’s disqualification.
The report quoted the source saying, “Their whole family is a victim of system failure. She has been fighting privately for her family and publicly for other families for years.” On the other hand, Sources close to Brad Pitt told the New York Post that Angelina Jolie is trying to ‘misrepresent the truth’ and harm the reputation of those who testified against her.
The report quoted the source as saying, “While the legislation she is supporting is potentially very viable, it has nothing to do with her custody case. It is inexplicable why she would use her advocacy for another defamatory effort to disregard all the objective facts in order to advance her own interest.”
Insiders within Brad Pitt’s legal team contended that the removal of Ouderkirk was rooted in a ‘procedural technicality,’ asserting that it wasn’t related to the case’s substantive facts. They vehemently denied any allegations of the judge being involved ‘with anyone’ in a business capacity. Meanwhile, a source close to Angelina Jolie maintained that Pitt had ‘never refuted his past abusive behavior’ and added, “If this happened to Jolie in her court case, just imagine what is happening all over the country.”
Nonetheless, someone in Brad Pitt’s inner circle affirmed that the actor had acknowledged his errors concerning the airplane incident. It was emphasized, however, that no legal charges were ever brought against him in connection to the matter. The report quoted the source: “Those FBI reports were introduced into evidence in the custody hearing, where he was still granted 50/50 custody. Anyone who testified or argued against her, she has tried to destroy. These defamatory comments against Judge Ouderkirk are demonstrably false, and she has even gone after a child evaluator who testified in the case.”
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