Angelina Jolie has filed court papers against her ex-husband, Brad Pitt. Jolie accuses him of drunkenly attacking her and their children – aged 8 to 15 at the time – during a private flight in 2016.
She says the alleged altercation prompted her to file for divorce.
New details of the accusation came to light during Jolie and Pitt’s ongoing lawsuit over a French winery.
The pair have been battling it out over Chateau Miraval SA, a home and vineyard in the south of France that they acquired together. Pitt argues that he and his former wife had agreed not to sell their stakes in the venue without the permission of the other.
On Tuesday, Jolie’s legal team filed papers (detailing the alleged attack) as part of the lawsuit. Jolie claims that Pitt grabbed her by the head and attacked two of their children whilst the family was on a private jet in 2016.
She alleges that he also verbally abused and poured alcohol on his family during the flight from France to Los Angeles. Pitt has denied the allegations made against him.
Jolie’s lawyers allege that the Fight Club actor began shouting, accusing her of being “too deferential to the children”. Just a short time into the flight, Pitt “pulled her into the bathroom” in the back of the plane, the papers claim.
“Pitt grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall,” the filing adds. “Pitt then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Jolie to leave the bathroom.”
The papers then say that after one of the couple’s children verbally intervened, Pitt “lunged at his own child”. According to the filing, Jolie then “grabbed him from behind to stop him”.
“To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane’s seats injuring Jolie’s back and elbow,” the legal filing continues.
“The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face.”
Jolie’s lawyers say she and her children “sat still and silent under blankets” for the remainder of the flight.
“Pitt periodically emerged from the back of the plane to yell and swear at them. At one point, he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children,” the filing concludes.
A source close to Pitt told the BBC that his ex-wife’s claims are false. “She continues to rehash, revise and reimagine her description of an event that happened six years ago by adding completely untrue information each time she fails to get what she wants.”
The incident was investigated by the FBI in 2016, but authorities decided not to press charges.
Last year, a judge awarded joint custody of the children to both parents.