Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt settle divorce after 8 years of legal battle: 'Exhausted but relieved'

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt Pic/AFP

After more than eight years of their legal fight, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have finally settled their highly publicized divorce. As per People magazine, Jolie's lawyers confirmed on Monday, December 30, 2024, that both parties have agreed to terms, marking a significant chapter in the protracted legal saga that began when Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016.

Jolie and Pitt had been married for two years and together for 12 before their relationship came to an end.

Jolie filed for divorce on September 19, 2016, citing "irreconcilable differences," shortly after an incident involving a private plane flight that she claimed escalated into an abusive altercation between Pitt and their six children.

Authorities investigated the matter, but Pitt was not charged, and Jolie later chose not to press charges.

In a statement to People magazine, Jolie's attorney, James Simon, reflected on the journey, stating, "More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr Pitt. She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family.

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."

A source close to Jolie told People magazine that the actress has remained focused on moving forward, saying, "She doesn't speak ill of Pitt publicly or privately. She's been trying hard to be light after a dark time."

The settlement concludes a highly complex and contentious divorce that involved significant disagreements, particularly over custody arrangements and their shared assets.

In the years following Jolie's divorce filing, the couple had been embroiled in lengthy and sometimes bitter legal disputes.

Early on, the former couple reached an agreement to handle their divorce proceedings privately, utilizing a private judge to resolve the legal details.

They also sought to seal all records related to their children to protect their privacy, as per People magazine.

Despite these attempts to keep matters out of the public eye, the divorce proceedings were far from smooth.

Custody battles over their six children Maddox (23), Pax (21), Zahara (19), Shiloh (18), and twins Vivienne and Knox (16), were particularly contentious, with harsh accusations filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, as per People magazine.

In 2017, Pitt and Jolie agreed to seal sensitive court records regarding their children, and they officially bifurcated their divorce, with their legal status as single being declared in 2019.

Since then, both parties have continued to navigate a difficult path, with Pitt beginning a relationship with LA jewellery executive Ines de Ramon in 2022.

Though the divorce settlement represents a resolution to one part of their legal battle, disagreements over their shared assets, specifically their French estate and winery Chateau Miraval, have continued.

In 2022, Pitt filed a lawsuit against Jolie after she sold her stake in the estate to a third party. Jolie countersued, alleging that Pitt had been orchestrating a campaign to take full control of the winery following their split.

As per People magazine, in the lawsuit, Jolie's business entity, Nouvel, argued that Pitt had been working behind the scenes to seize control of the property, which had been a symbol of their shared life and investments.

A source close to Pitt countered the accusations, telling People magazine, "This is just the latest in a series of deliberate efforts to misdirect, recycle and reposition the truth of what has happened over the last six years."

Pitt also sought to prove that there was a written agreement between the couple regarding the sale of their shares in the estate, a claim that was substantiated in a recent court ruling.

In a significant legal victory for Jolie, a judge ruled in November 2024 that Pitt must disclose documents, including emails and texts, that might support Jolie's allegations of abuse, which she claims have been covered up for years.

Both parties remain entrenched in the legal battle over Chateau Miraval, with Pitt's legal team referring to Jolie's document request as "a sensationalist fishing expedition," as per People magazine.

Despite the ongoing litigation, the divorce proceedings themselves have now been officially concluded.