Angelina Jolie agreed to seal court documents in her custody case with estranged husband Brad Pitt, according to TMZ. The Academy Award–winning actress’ decision to do so comes nearly a month after Pitt, 53, made an emergency request to keep the legal battle over their six children private.
As previously reported, the Allied actor sought to make custody details relating to their kids — Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne — private, after Jolie’s lawyer filed paperwork outlining the pair’s temporary, voluntary arrangement with the court back in December. However, Pitt’s request was denied by a judge at a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court on December 7.
Jolie now wants to seal the custody case, according to TMZ. However, the site reports that the Maleficent star’s lawyer, Laura Wasser, filed legal documents claiming that Pitt wants to keep the details confidential because he’s “terrified that the public will learn the truth.”
According to TMZ, the new docs state that Pitt filed his request to seal his custody case with Jolie, 41, to “deflect from [his] own role in the media storm which has engulfed the parties’ children.”
Wasser reportedly added: “There is little doubt that [Brad] would prefer to keep the entire case private, particularly given the detailed investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dept. of Children and Family Services into allegation of abuse.”
In response, a source close to Pitt tells Us Weekly, “Child services and the FBI both concluded extensive investigations which cleared Brad so it’s pretty obvious that they did not find Angelina’s claims to be convincing or have merit.”
The insider adds: “It’s unfortunate it has taken them four months of on the record statements, leaks and unnecessary filings to agree that privacy is the best approach for the children of this family but at least they have acknowledged it now.”
Pitt was cleared of child abuse allegations by the FBI in November, months after Jolie filed for divorce on September 19. She requested full custody of their children, and Pitt agreed to visits only when a therapist grants permission.
