Angelina Jolie May 'Continue Her Legal Fight' After Judge Rules Shared Child Custody With Brad Pitt

A judge has awarded joint custody to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, a ruling that impacts five of their six children, according to Page Six. (Maddox Jolie-Pitt is 19 years old and therefore not a minor.) Prior to the ruling, Jolie made it abundantly clear that she felt the judge had not taken all of the evidence into consideration. Jolie, who was suing for primary physical custody, took issue with the fact that her teenage children were not allowed to testify during the custody hearing, which is allowed under California legal code.

Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016 and the two were legally divorced in 2019. But reaching a settlement has been complicated by the couple’s struggles to agree on a custody arrangement for their six children going forward. Jolie and Pitt hired a private judge, John Ouderkirk, to oversee the matter, involved months worth of testimony from family members and child welfare workers, who had spent time with the Jolie-Pitt children.

Prior to the ruling, Jolie’s lawyers said she would appeal any decision by Ouderkirk, on the grounds that the judge had not taken all aspects of the case into consideration and that the children had not been able to testify. A source told Page Six that Jolie will “continue her legal fight” and Jolie’s attorneys confirm that they’ve already submitted to an appellate court. If the appeal is accepted, Ouderkirk’s ruling will be moot and the lives of the Jolie-Pitt children will once again be in flux as their parents continue to drag out a years-long custody battle.