Angelina Jolie Endures Rejection Amid Divorce Case With Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie suffered from a rejection amid her divorce case with Brad Pitt.
On Monday, Jolie's request to remove the judge from their legal battle has been denied. The court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday revealed that the court did not disqualify John W. Ouderkirk from the case.
According to the new ruling, the judge shared all the needed disclosures before he was assigned to the case.
In addition, the filing referred to Jolie's request as something "untimely" since she actually knows his appointments and business relationships since August 2018. Thus, the court found it unreasonable, as the actress failed to provide proof that could support Ouderkirk's removal.
Unfortunately, the decision is not appealable.
Last August, Jolie first filed the request in Los Angeles Superior Court to remove Ouderkirk for failing to fully disclose his connection with Pitt's attorneys.
"Angelina's team was kept in the dark about matters that should have been disclosed. Any attempt to suggest otherwise is only to distract from behavior that violates the rules of ethics for judges," a source told Vanity Fair at that time.
Meanwhile, her legal consultant, Samantha Bley DeJean, added in a statement that Jolie only wanted a fair trial based on facts.
"The only way litigants can trust the process is for everyone involved to ensure that there is transparency and impartiality," DeJean went on.
Judge Pledges a Fair Judgment Throughout The Case
Even before Jolie filed the request, Ouderkirk--who officiated Pitt and Jolie's August 2014 wedding in France--stated that he is and will always be fair throughout the divorce case.
"I will continue to consider accepting other cases as other additional cases may arise from time to time while the Jolie/Pitt case is still pending," he said in August. "Such other cases might involve party, lawyer‚ law firm and/or witnesses involved in the Jolie/Pitt matter."
At that time, he denied Jolie's claims, saying that he actually disclosed everything with Pitt's attorney.
Meanwhile, Pitt's legal team responded to Jolie's request that time and called her move as her way to delay the divorce process.
Pitt and Jolie are paying for a private judge in their divorce case in pursuit of keeping all the details--personal and financial--private.
The "Maleficent" actress initially filed for divorce in 2016. Since last year, they became legally single while the finalization of their divorce is still underway.
The A-list ex-couple share six kids: Maddox (19), Pax (16), Zahara (15), Shiloh (14), Knox (12), and Vivienne (12).
Pitt, Jolie Facing Huge Concern?
Prior to the release of the ruling, Pitt and Jolie's former bodyguard revealed that the ex-couple faced security issues in the past.
"The biggest concern for them was the kidnapping of the kids, it's all about money. Angie and Brad are very worried about who goes near the children," Mark Billingham told Australian publication Now To Love.
This could explain why they opted to have a private judge after having a very public split.
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