BRAD & ANGE MAKE A DEAL
The couple have reportedly put their bitter feud on hold for the sake of their six children
The stars reach a custody agreement
After months of a heated custody battle between Brad Pitt, 54, and Angelina Jolie, 43, it appears the couple have now reached an agreement. Last week,
The Maleficent actress stepped out in Los Angeles looking carefree and radiant as she enjoyed lunch with her 14-year-old son Pax at trendy eatery Perch before heading to Melrose Place for a spot of shopping.
The outing comes days after an interim arrangement for the couple’s custody battle was
agreed to by both parties until a permanent custody deal is reached. According to insiders, Jolie was also “helping the children heal with their father” and the estranged couple is trying to be “amicable” for their children’s sake.
Their bitter custody battle reached headlines recently after Jolie accused Pitt of not paying any “meaningful child support” for more than a year. Pitt’s lawyers hit back claiming he had paid more than $Us9million since their split two years ago. Jolie’s lawyer Samantha Bley Dejean hit back in statement that said Pitt’s side was trying to “distract from the fact that he has not fully met his legal obligations to support the children.” She continued: “Following the incident of September 2016, Angelina and the children needed to move from the family home, which Brad chose to keep, including all of its contents. Brad was asked to assist in the expense of a new home for Angelina and the children but instead he loaned Angelina money, for which he is charging her interest on a payment plan.” Jolie, the lawyer said, “will of course honour that loan. A loan is not, however, child support and to represent it as such is misleading and inaccurate. Angelina is asking Brad to pay 50 per cent of the children’s expenses. He has not. Angelina has had to shoulder the majority of those without his contribution for the past two years.” While it may seem a little odd to be lending Jolie money and to be charging her interest on the amount, the use of what is known as an intra-family loan is a strategy that can be deployed during divorce proceedings, until a final financial agreement is reached. Meanwhile, Pitt’s lawyers claimed that child support was never requested, and the recent admission was “calculated to increase the conflict.” “Petitioner’s request is unnecessary, omits material information and is a thinly-veiled effort to manipulate media coverage,” the court filing said.
Jolie’s spokesperson Mindy Nimby also issued a statement explaining that the actress’s court filing was simply a move in which she hoped to speed up the divorce proceedings. “The aim of Angelina’s routine court filing is to provide closure to the marriage in a way that clears a path towards the next stage of their lives and allows her and Brad to recommit as devoted co-parents to their children,’ she stated.
The whole court debacle came after Jolie was ordered by a judge in June to help repair the children’s relationship with their father.
This meant that Pitt was able to spend more time with Pax, 13-year-old Zahara, 12-year-old Shiloh and 10-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, while the eldest son Maddox, 17, is legally considered old enough to decide for himself.
But despite these recent developments, insiders say the couple’s divorce battle is far from over.
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