Brad Pitt’s petition to challenge a decision on his ongoing custody battle with Angelina Jolie has been denied. ET can confirm that the California Supreme Court denied Pitt’s request to review the California appellate court’s ruling to disqualify the private judge he and Jolie chose to oversee their custody dispute. ET has reached out to Pitt’s reps for comment.
In a statement to ET, Jolie’s attorney, Robert Olson, stated that the actress “welcomes” the decision and “is glad for the family to now move forward cooperatively.”
“Ms. Jolie is focused on her family and pleased that her children’s wellbeing will not be guided by unethical behavior. She welcomes the California Supreme Court’s decision to refuse review of the unanimous Court of Appeal decision,” Olson stated. “As reinforced by California’s appellate courts, our judiciary prioritizes ethics and children’s best interests, and won’t tolerate judicial misconduct to reward the interests of a party. Ms. Jolie is glad for the family to now move forward cooperatively.”
Pitt’s request, which he filed in September, came after Judge John Ouderkirk was disqualified from the custody case, vacating all of his decisions, including a previous ruling that granted Pitt more time with his and Jolie’s five minor children; Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 13.
Pitt’s petition, obtained by ET at the time, argued that disqualifying Ouderkirk “effectively upended the constitutionally authorized temporary judging system in California,” now throwing open “the door to disqualification challenges at any point during a case, even if the party raising the motion has long been on notice about the alleged grounds for disqualification.”
Attorneys for the Eternals star previously argued that Ouderkirk, who had been the former couple’s private judge, could be biased in his rulings. Ouderkirk was hired in 2016, and his employment was extended twice during Pitt and Jolie’s five-year custody battle.
Meanwhile, in late September the former couple, who finalized their divorce in 2019, reached an agreement on selling their assets.
In other Jolie-Pitt news, Jolie has been attending the Eternals premieres with her children. On Wednesday, at the U.K. premiere of her Marvel movie, ET spoke with Jolie about bringing her own family along as she promotes the film.
“I think the important thing is they haven’t made a choice, they’ve been public for their whole lives. And so, [we] try to find a way where they can not be overwhelmed by it, but just be in it in a comfortable way.” Jolie explained about having her kids at the event. “It’s a tiny piece of our life. We are just a family, but this little piece of our life where this is a moment. I’m happy that they’re able to have some fun with it and not take it too seriously, and start to explore themselves, even with their fashion.”
