Brad Pitt’s attorneys allege ex-wife Angelina Jolie is trying to delay custody case

Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, and have not yet finalised their separation. About a year ago, the courts granted the estranged couple single status. But now, in the midst of the ongoing custody battle between Brad and Angelina, Brad's legal team has accused the actress of making an effort to prolong their case.

Last week, Angeline requested the private judge handling their divorce to be removed from the case because of insufficient records regarding his professional arrangements with one of Brad's attorneys. Judge John W. Ouderkirk also married the duo back in 2014.

In new legal documents published by USA TODAY, Brad's attorneys fought back against Jolie's request to oust Judge John W. Ouderkirk, who had served with the former couple many times before, two months before the custody trial was set to begin.

According to the portal, Brad’s legal response read that against this backdrop, Jolie 's sudden cry of judicial prejudice reeks of mistrust and desperation, not to mention reckless disregard for the procedural rules aimed at eradicating legally conflicting judicial officers.

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Angeline Jolie seeks removal of private judge in divorce case with Brad Pitt

In the Los Angeles Superior Court case, the contents of which are made public, Angelina Jolie argues that Judge John W. Ouderkirk should be removed from the divorce case that she filed in 2016. It is because the judge is said to have been too late and not sufficiently forthcoming about other cases that he has been hired to involve Brad Pitt 's lawyer, Anne C. Kiley. According to The Associated Press, the filing says that during their proceedings, Ouderkirk has “failed to disclose the cases that demonstrated the current, ongoing, repeat-customer relationship between the judge and Respondent's counsel”.

Also read | Angelina Jolie Demands Private Judge To Be Removed In Her Divorce Case With Brad Pitt

About the duo’s controversy

Pitt and Jolie were officially divorced in April 2019, and Pitt was dropped from her name after their attorneys requested a bifurcated verdict. This means the two married people will be declared single while other issues remain, which includes finances and child custody. As most of the documents have been sealed, it is unclear what issues are still unresolved. Jolie filed papers in 2018 stating that Pitt was not paying enough money for child support. The filing was disputed by Pitt's attorney, calling it an effort to manipulate the split media coverage. The actors spent around 12 years together and married for two years.

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(with inputs from agencies)