Friday, i.e. July 9, saw another chapter in Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's heated custody battle for their five children (excluding eldest son Maddox Jolie Pitt, 19) as their attorneys presented their arguments in a remote appellate court hearing. According to Entertainment Tonight, reiterating Angelina's request, which was denied last November, was her lawyer Robert Olson, who argued for Judge John W. Ouderkirk's removal from Brangelina's custody case.
Robert claimed that the private judge was not impartial during the custody battle case because he was allegedly working on legal matters which involved Brad's lawyer. "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. Ms. Jolie did not know anything that happened between counsel for Pitt and the judge," Olson stated. Firing back was Pitt's lawyer Theodore Boutrous, who claimed that Angelina was well aware of the potential conflict all along.
"Here in a child custody case that's been going on for so long, the children are getting older and to allow a delaying tactic like this would be extremely unjust," Theodore argued before adding, "There were no surprises. Ms. Jolie and her counsel knew about the relationship and the grounds."
Angelina and Brad's eldest son Maddox is considered a legal adult and hence, not subjected to the custody decision, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14, Vivienne, 12, and Knox, 12, are whom Jolie and Pitt are currently consumed in a legal battle for, since September 2016, when they first filed for divorce. Moreover, it was towards the end of May when Brad was granted joint custody of his and Angelina's kids in a tentative ruling while Jolie continues to fight for sole custody.
