Angelina Jolie is the plaintiff in an anonymous complaint filed against the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2016 after the organisation closed an investigation into alleged domestic assault by Brad Pitt, a new report has claimed. Pitt’s team has denied all allegations of wrongdoing related to the alleged incident.
The anonymous lawsuit against the FBI came after Jolie filed a report in 2016 with an FBI agent that alleged she was “physically and verbally assaulted” by her then-husband, Pitt.
The alleged incident onboard an aeroplane travelling from Europe to the US on September 14, 2016, reportedly also involved one of the pair’s children. The couple’s then-15-year-old son, Maddix, allegedly became involved in the altercation. Pitt was alleged to have become physical with Maddix, as the latter attempted to diffuse the situation between his parents.
The FBI launched an investigation into the situation, but concluded – after finding no proof of malcontent on Pitt’s behalf – that they would not be conducting any further investigation. “In response to allegations made… the FBI has conducted a review of the circumstances and will not pursue further investigation,” their statement read. “No charges have been filed in this matter.”
Pitt was also the subject of a “child abuse investigation” in relation to Maddix’s purported involvement in the alleged plane incident. It was conducted by the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services, who reportedly later cleared the actor of any wrongdoing.
A complaint against the bureau was subsequently lodged by a “Jane Doe”, who stated she had “public status” and wished to remain anonymous.
In a report published by Puck on August 15, Jolie was identified as the “Jane Doe” behind the complaint about the closed investigation, in which the actress attempts to litigate the FBI’s decision not to pursue charges.
In legal documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight back in April, Jolie, under the Freedom of Information Act, anonymously sought to obtain paperwork relating to the FBI’s since-closed “investigation of an incident of domestic violence” in an effort to “better understand the FBI’s investigation and obtain information necessary for her children to receive medical care and trauma counseling”.
Per Variety, the complaint (amended in August) also read: “Information withheld by the DOJ and the FBI contains evidence of the harm. The persistent denial of that information to Ms. Doe [Jolie] a victim of the assault herself — has hampered, and continues to hamper, her efforts to obtain for her children necessary ongoing care and medical attention, and has further harmed the children in the family law system.”
The alleged incident and subsequent series of events has long been speculated as the reason for Jolie’s divorce filing – whereby she requested sole custody of her six children – just five days after the September 14 flight.