Angelina Jolie accuses ex-husband Brad Pitt of 'physical abuse' towards her before 2016 plane incident

Eight years following the celebrity split that shook Hollywood, Angelina Jolie's lawyers have this week claimed that her ex-husband Brad Pitt was 'physically-abusive' towards her.

Angelina's legal team have alleged this abuse occurred prior to the controversial incident that took place between the former couple on a flight back in 2016, after which she filed for divorce.

For those unfamiliar with the turbulent timeline of 'Brangelina's' romance, the pair sparked questions of an affair after appearing as a married couple in the 2005 action-comedy Mr and Mrs Smith, during which Brad was wed to Friends star Jennifer Aniston.

The duo later claimed that they didn't embark on a secret relationship during filming and Brad and Jennifer announced their divorce the same year. Then in 2006, Angelina announced she was pregnant with his first child.

During their 12-year relationship, the couple welcomed six children together - three of whom were conceived naturally, and three of whom were adopted.

Their subsequent two-year 2014 marriage wasn't to last however, and in 2016, Angelina filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences.

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In the years that followed, however, Brad attempted to sue his ex-wife for selling her share of their jointly-purchased French winery Chateau Miraval to a third party.

In response, Angelina filed a countersuit in 2022, alleging her ex-husband had been abusive to herself and her children during a 2016 flight on a private jet.

The silver screen star's cross-complaint alleged that Brad had 'choked' one of their children onboard the flight, as well as having 'struck another in the face', 'grabbed' Angelina 'by the head', and 'poured beer and red wine on the children'.

However, Brad denied the accusations made against him.

And yesterday (4 April), Angelina's lawyers filed in a motion seeking their release of communications that they claim prove her ex's abuse.

Karwai Tang/WireImage)

It alleges that Brad had previously refused to sell her share of the winery to him without Angelina first agreeing to an 'expansive' non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

Court documents filed to Los Angeles County Superior Court accuse Brad of having subjected Angelina to physical abuse throughout a lengthy period of their relationship, emphasising that this extended beyond the 2016 private jet incident.

In the filing, obtained by CNN, her team said: "While Pitt’s history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family’s September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles, this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well. Jolie then immediately left him."

In a statement obtained by People, Angelina's attorney Paul Murphy said on 4 April: "Mr. Pitt refused to purchase Ms. Jolie’s interest when she would not be silenced by his NDA. By refusing to buy her interest but then suing her, Mr. Pitt put directly at issue why that NDA was so important to him and what he hoped it would bury: his abuse of Ms. Jolie and their family. After eight months of delays, this motion asks the Court to force Mr. Pitt to finally produce that evidence."

Tyla contacted Brad Pitt's representatives for comment.