Angelina Jolie is reportedly suing the FBI as an anonymous Jane Doe to find out why its agents declined to charge Brad Pitt over a 2016 private jet altercation he had with her eldest son Maddow.
The new lawsuit, filed by an anonymous Jane Doe, alleges the investigative bureau denied the plaintiff access to records pertaining to an investigation allegations that the woman’s ‘then-husband … physically and verbally assaulted’ her and their children while traveling on a private plane ‘several years ago.’
In 2016, soon after Jolie filed for divorce, it was revealed that Pitt was being investigated by the FBI and Los Angeles social services amid reports he got ‘verbally abusive and physical with his children’ on a private jet traveling from France to the USA.
Investigators cleared Pitt, 58, of the abuse allegations, stating he had not committed child abuse when he got into a fight with Maddox aboard the jet. It has now been speculated that Jolie may be the woman who is suing, although a source close to her and Pitt told TMZ were given the full FBI report during their divorce.
The suit alleges Jane Doe has filed numerous requests for a copy of the department’s investigative file in hopes of ‘better understanding the FBI’s investigation and obtaining information necessary for her children to receive medical care and trauma counseling’.
High-profile attorney Amanda Kramer, who is representing the plaintiff, told Politico her client filed the suit anonymously ‘preserve the family’s privacy.’ Representatives for Jolie, 46, did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
The filing alleges the woman’s children have ‘experienced lasting physical and mental trauma’ after being ‘verbally and physically’ assaulted by her then-husband while flying on a private plane.
The plaintiff claims the FBI launched an investigation into the incident and ‘without advance notice’ to her or her children, ‘publicly announced it was closing its investigation of the incident without further action’.
The woman filed several FOIA requests with the bureau, hoping to better understand why they opted not to take action against her husband, according to the filing.
She has accused the agency of not only failing to provide her with the requested documents, but also claims the FBI’s responses to her requests are ‘legally insufficient’.
The woman, who does not appear to have filed a formal lawsuit yet, had requested that she be permitted to proceed with the case under a pseudonym and to have it sealed. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Beryl Howell reportedly signed off on the request this week.
‘Our position is that victims and survivors should be able to access federal agency records of crimes they experienced or reported, as is common at the state level, so they can advocate for help and trauma care and legal protection for their children and themselves,’ Kramer told the media outlet after declining to disclose the plaintiff’s identity.
‘Our client has been seeking such records for years and has been stonewalled and has had to resort to court action to receive those much-needed records. Legislative remedies are necessary.’
Speculation arose that Jolie may be Jane Doe due to the similarities between the filing and the accusations the actress had previously made against Pitt.
However, a source connected to the former couple told TMZ Tuesday that both Pitt and Jolie received a copy of the FBI’s report following the initial investigation into the plane incident.
The source also claimed the information in the report was submitted during the couple’s divorce case.
The stars met on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2005 and after dating for a decade they tied the knot in September 2014.
They have six children together: Maddox, 20, Pax, 18, Zahara, 17, Shiloh, 15, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 13.
Jolie adopted Maddox in 2002, then Zahara in 2005, a year after she’d met Pitt while the pair filmed Mr. and Mrs. Smith. However Brad was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time.
They then adopted Pax together in 2007, and had biological kids Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne afterwards. Pitt adopted all of the kids before they got married in 2014.
Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, prompting a long legal battle. Maddox Jolie-Pitt, testified against his father during the couple’s contentious divorce and custody battle – offering a ‘not very flattering’ opinion about the actor.
A source also revealed during the proceeding that Maddox wanted to legally remove ‘Pitt’ from his name, something his mother ‘doesn’t support.’
