Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt divorce on the rocks as court rules private judge should be pulled from handling their case
TODAY a California appeals court disqualified the private judge in Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's divorce case.
The 2nd District Court of Appeal sided with on the issue of Judge John W. Ouderkirk's insufficient disclosure of his business relationships with Brad Pitt's attorneys.
According to the , the court ruled: "Judge Ouderkirk's ethical breach, considered together with the information disclosed concerning his recent professional relationships with Pitts counsel, might cause an objective person, aware of all the facts, reasonably to entertain a doubt as to the judge's ability to be impartial. Disqualification is required."
This means the custody fight over the couple's five minor children, which was appeared to be coming to an end, may have to start over.
A spokesperson for Brad told The Sun following the decision: “The appeals court ruling was based on a technical procedural issue. The facts haven’t changed. There is an extraordinary amount of factual evidence which led the judge—and the many experts who testified—to reach their clear conclusion about what is in the children’s best interests. We will continue to do what’s necessary legally based on the detailed findings of what’s best for the children.”
Attorneys for Angelina did not immediately respond to the AP's requests for comment.
MADDOX'S PARENTS
Earlier this week, Angelina's claimed her before his 2002 adoption.
Sarath Mounh, a former aid worker who helped the actress adopt her oldest son, said he isn’t “100% sure” if Maddox’s parents were alive at the time of his adoption.
While running an NGO in Cambodia, Sarath became a close friend of the 46-year-old actress when she visited Maddox’s home country.
According to , Sarath played a role in Maddox’s adoption by signing legal documents claiming he was the birth father of Angelina’s oldest child to help get it approved quicker by the Cambodian courts.
While he is not Maddox’s biological father, it is not clear if is aware of this fact.
He told the outlet: 'I'm not 100% sure that Maddox was an orphan even though he came from an orphanage. At least one of the parents was possibly alive at the time of his adoption. But I never asked these difficult questions, nobody did.
“This was happening a lot in Cambodia. There were many babies who were left in orphanages or sold to them by their parents because they couldn't afford to look after them.”
At the time of Maddox's adoption, the head of the human rights agency Licadho Kek Galibru investigated the adoption and said: "I'm sure that this child was not a real orphan and was not abandoned."
However, Angelina has insisted Maddox was an orphan at the time of his adoption and said: "I would never rob a mother of her child. I can only imagine how dreadful that would feel."
BRAD'S VICTORY
The new claims come after Brad of their six children following a long court battle - after she filed for divorce in 2016.
The pair have , twins Vivienne and Knox, 12, and Shiloh, 15, along with Maddox, Zahara, 16, and Pax, 17, who were adopted from orphanages in Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam respectively.
Angelina and Brad tied the knot in 2014, while their divorce was finalized in 2019.
Earlier this month, Angelina and were spotted on another at a private concert in Los Angeles.
According to Instagram's , the two stars were seen at "Mustafa's private concert."
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In the photo shared by the account, the hitmaker was seen rocking a denim jacket over a black tee, as he stood in the crowd while wearing sunglasses.
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As for Angelina, she sported a dark jacket, as she showed off a slight smile while the snap was taken.
The two were also recently seen enjoying a charming at Giorgio Baldi.
