Legal experts explain why Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's divorce took 8 years: 'Perfect storm'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have officially reached a divorce settlement after eight years of bitter legal battle, as confirmed by the actress' lawyer on Monday, December 30.
According to legal experts, the timeline in this case is wild and messy even by celeb divorce standards.
Why did the Brangelina divorce take so long?
Scott Weston, a California family lawyer (not involved in the case), called it "absolutely" out of the ordinary. But when you combine Hollywood egos, six children, and a packed Los Angeles court system, you’re bound to get delays.
From the start, Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, clashed on just about everything—custody, privacy, even their French winery, where they tied the knot in 2014. Plus, they were dealing with what Weston calls "probably the most congested superior court in the country."
When Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016 citing irreconcilable differences, she asked for physical custody of all their children: Maddox, 23, Pax, 21, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16. At the time, they were all minors.
Angelina explained her decision as being "for the health of the family." But things escalated quickly when concerning allegations about Pitt came to light.
Accusations of abuse against Brad Pitt and subsequent custody battle
Not long after Angelina Jolie filed, news broke about a disturbing incident on a private plane. The 'Fight Club' actor was accused of being "verbally abusive" and "physical" with the children. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and even the FBI got involved.
Family law attorney John Lambros explained how such allegations can stall divorce proceedings. He told People that DCFS’s involvement "can seriously slow the progression of a case."
In the end, neither the DCFS nor the FBI filed charges and Jolie declined to press any. Pitt's lawyer said he would take responsibility for "some past actions" but not for things he didn’t do. Still, the damage was done.
The actor was only granted visitation rights at first, and custody became a battleground for years.
The former couple couldn’t agree on custody and the animosity spilled into court filings. Pitt pushed to seal the proceedings, which Jolie's team objected to saying he was trying to "shield himself, rather than the minor children, from public view."
In 2017, there was a glimmer of hope when the two stars agreed to keep the case private and use a private judge. But by 2018, things got messy again.
Judge John Ouderkirk, the private judge they had hired, ruled in favor of Pitt having more visitation. He also warned Jolie that she could lose full custody if the children "remained closed down to their father."
Then, in 2021, Ouderkirk was removed from the case after an appeals court found he hadn't disclosed previous business dealings with the actor's attorneys.
According to Lambros, "Anytime there is an appellate procedure in a matter, you are going to reduce the speed." Weston added, "It slows down the case to a crawl until that subject matter is ruled upon."
Chateau Miraval mayhem and crossing the finish line
Just when you thought this divorce couldn’t get convoluted: enter Chateau Miraval, the couple's $164 million French winery. In 2022, Brad Pitt sued Angelina Jolie for breach of contract claiming she secretly sold her share to a Russian oligarch.
This winery, once a symbol of their love, became a battleground that heightened tensions in an already messy split. Taken together, Lambros called the custody battle, court delays, and business disputes a "perfect storm."
Finally, Pitt and Jolie have agreed to end the saga. The 'Salt' actress' lawyer, James Simon, told People on Monday, "This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over."
Meanwhile, Pitt's camp has kept quiet and has yet to publicly comment on the settlement.
But what took so long? Lambros believes one factor was their bifurcated divorce in 2019, which allowed them to be declared legally single even though custody and property issues remained unresolved.
"What does everybody want to do when you're in a divorce? You want to get divorced," Lambros said. "When you bifurcate that case and you grant them their divorce, well, a lot of the pressure of 'I’m still married' is gone."
Jolie is currently focusing on her children, humanitarian efforts, and new creative projects. As for Pitt, he has found love again and is staying busy with acting and producing.
