A judge in California has granted American actor Brad Pitt joint custody of his children in the divorce proceedings with his ex-wife, actress Angelina Jolie, who is seeking sole custody, as reported by several American media outlets. The website "TMZ" reported that the decision made by retired Judge John Ouderkirk was issued in a private court setting, affirming the principle of equal custody.
This decision comes nearly five years after Angelina Jolie (46 years old) filed for divorce in September 2016. The actress has taken legal actions aimed at removing the judge overseeing the case, and this process is still ongoing.
The joint custody decision applies to five of Jolie and Pitt's six children, as Maddox Jolie-Pitt (19 years old) is now an adult. The decision can be appealed in civil court.
Brad Pitt (57 years old) and Angelina Jolie have not been officially married since April 2019, but they have yet to resolve the division of their assets.
The Hollywood stars reached a temporary agreement on joint custody of their children in 2018, under terms that have remained confidential, but they have not been able to agree on a permanent arrangement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation following a report from "TMZ" about an incident in which Brad Pitt allegedly verbally and physically confronted his children during a plane trip in September 2016; however, the FBI decided not to pursue any charges based on the outcome of the investigation.
During their marriage from 2005 to 2016, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were considered one of the most glamorous couples in Hollywood, having three biological children together, while Brad Pitt officially adopted three others: Maddox, Pax, and Zahara.
