In April 2022, Politico and TMZ reported that Angelina Jolie had filed (as a Jane Doe) for the FBI’s records on their investigation into the 2016 plane incident. The 2016 incident was the game-changer for Angelina. That was where a likely blackout-drunk Brad Pitt terrorized and assaulted Angelina and their children for hours on and off the plane. In 2022, Angelina was technically getting a Freedom of Information Act request, but really, she was trying to piece together what exactly happened with the FBI investigation and why the FBI didn’t file any charges against Pitt. Angelina did manage to get her hands on some of the partially-redacted records, including the FBI’s records of Jolie’s own statements to them about what Brad did to her and the children. Many of those records were then FOIA-requested by media outlets who then published their own coverage, much to Team Pitt’s chagrin. Well, long story short, after two years of trying to figure out why the FBI didn’t charge Pitt with any crime, Jolie is now dropping it.
Angelina Jolie is ending her legal battle against the Department of Justice and FBI over documents connected to the alleged 2016 plane incident involving her then-husband Brad Pitt.
Under the anonymous “Jane Doe,” Jolie, 49, had requested in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 2021 that FBI documents about the incident be released to her. Court documents obtained by PEOPLE indicate the Maria star dropped the case on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
The highly redacted documents Jolie had been pursuing detailed an allegedly drunken altercation on Sept. 14, 2016, between Pitt, 60, and his then-wife — which came days before Jolie filed for divorce, ending a relationship that began in 2005.
Their children were reportedly present for the alleged conflict on a private plane that had caused the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services and FBI to investigate Pitt. A source said at the time that Pitt became “verbally abusive” and “physical” with one of their kids, which he denied. Later in 2016, the FBI closed its investigation with no charges against Pitt and DCFS also concluded its investigation, concluding no findings of abuse.
Amid the ongoing legal battle over their French vineyard Château Miraval and wine company, Jolie responded to a 2022 lawsuit from her ex with details of the alleged incident, including that Pitt had “choked one of the children and struck another in the face.” A source close to Pitt told PEOPLE at the time, “It’s incredibly sad that she continues to rehash, revise and reimagine her description of an event that happened 6 years ago, adding in completely untrue information.”
I don’t know why she dropped this, other than she was tired of being stonewalled by the FBI and she likely achieved some of her goals anyway. It’s also worth noting that back in 2022, Jolie/Jane Doe’s lawyer told Politico that Jolie had been trying to get the FBI records for years without having to file a FOIA action, and the FBI stonewalled her that entire time too. It feels like Angelina has her suspicions that something went down between the FBI and Pitt and both parties are doing the most to cover it up.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.
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- Venice, ITALY – Angelina Jolie attends a photocall for the movie “Maria” during the 81st Venice International Film Festival. Pictured: Angelina Jolie BACKGRID USA 29 AUGUST 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Venice, ITALY – Angelina Jolie smiles as she is seen leaving Venice after attending the 81st Venice International Film Festival. Pictured: Angelina Jolie BACKGRID USA 30 AUGUST 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Aissaoui Nacer / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Celebrities attend the ‘Maria’ premiere during the 81st Venice International Film Festival Featuring: Angelina Jolie Where: Venice, Italy When: 29 Aug 2024 Credit: Cover Images
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- Celebrities attend the ‘Maria’ premiere during the 81st Venice International Film Festival Featuring: Angelina Jolie Where: Venice, Italy When: 29 Aug 2024 Credit: Cover Images
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- Celebrities attend the ‘Maria’ premiere during the 81st Venice International Film Festival Featuring: Angelina Jolie Where: Venice, Italy When: 29 Aug 2024 Credit: Cover Images
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- Celebrities attend the ‘Maria’ premiere during the 81st Venice International Film Festival Featuring: Angelina Jolie Where: Venice, Italy When: 29 Aug 2024 Credit: Cover Images
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- Arrivals At The 81st Venice International Film Festival – ‘Maria’ Premiere Featuring: Angelina Jolie Where: Venice, Italy When: 29 Aug 2024 Credit: Anna Maria Tinghino/Future Image/Cover Images **NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN GERMANY**
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- 81st Venice International Film Festival ‘Wolfs’ premiere Featuring: Brad Pitt Where: Venice, Italy When: 01 Sep 2024 Credit: IPA/INSTARimages **UK, USA AND AUSTRALIA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- 81st Venice International Film Festival – ‘Wolfs’ Premiere Red Carpet Featuring: Brad Pitt, Ines de Ramon Where: Venice, Italy When: 01 Sep 2024 Credit: Anna Maria Tinghino/Future Image/Cover Images **NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN GERMANY**
I think she got the records, or enough of the records that she has what she needs. FOI cases are not particularly expensive to litigate but the government does not want to get hit with penalties and legal fees. This looks exactly like the government negotiating to make this go away because it’s finally getting to court.
I’ve requested a FOIA once–it’s free. You just go online & make your request. In my case, I got 300+ pages of redacted information–it was a sight to see! all those black lines! 😆.
IMO, the filing of the FOIA is absolute and utter bullsh*t. You can request it but 1.) they will send you what they want to send you…they could easily hold back documents from you and you will never know. 2). If they send you any documents, they will contain blacked out information! What is the point then? Especially if these are documents involving domestic charges, not secret codes to nuclear weapons. These documents should be released in full and without any redaction. It’s utterly frustrating.
I always thought that no charges were filed at Jolie’s request because she didn’t want to further traumatize the kids. So this is news to me. In any case, this is not a good look for the FBI. And if they followed the book, why not just provide the records of the investigation, especially since the records involve her and her minor children?
This was my take too.
IIRC it was reported at the time that she didn’t want to press charges or something like that. Domestic violence victims rarely have a say in that anymore. It sounds like it wasn’t true though, maybe it was his side claiming that.
it’s not like she dropped it. the case is over because angelina got what she wanted from the fbi.
@Brit
Exactly.
Angelina wdnt drop her FOI request for no reason. Its a negotiated move….a quid pro quo. She was never interested in persecuting Brad over his abuse on the plane IF he did all the arbitrated, mitigating things.
But when he kept coming at her over her Miraval sale just to keep abusing her financially & low-key keep her in his life, she resurrected that FBI investigation with her FOI request.
So now let’s see his next move. Methinks his next move will be to drop HIS most recent legal action pertaining to Angie selling her part of Miraval to the Russians.
i personally think that brad not only won’t drop anything, but he’ll sue her for another reason (I’m sure he’ll think of something) and as always we’ll be hit with another wave of tabloid articles: brad is in love, ines is wonderful, angelina is evil, the kids are ungrateful, russians won’t let him live, but he doesn’t care, because brad is happy and relaxed (read: under the influence of something).
By doing the FOI she got the third party record of what occurred into the media/public, which has mattered a lot given the disinformation she’s been subjected to.
I had to look it up because no other outlets added the very important detail that she DID did get the documents requested…even though these same sites reported on it lol.
“The FBI has informed the court it produced 164 pages of additional documents for Jolie, “completing production from the materials collected and reviewed.”
They usually intentionally leave out or twist important details to make it look like another legal defeat for Angelina and thus a victory for Brad.
Yeah, they left out the important part: she got the info she wanted & is now done. She didn’t ‘drop’ anything.
She got the extra pages from the FBI last year. My guess is that something we don’t know about has changed behind the scenes. Hopefully, it’s been dropped because she wanted this—litigation is costly both monetarily and emotionally. What I absolutely do not believe is that this is a win for Brad Pitt—there’s a reason that he’s been reported as still being in love with Inez Da Ramon. People has been his mouthpiece for an image rehabilitation, and they aren’t writing that.
From what I’ve read the FBI and Angelina filed the stipulation to dismissed the case the day before they had to produce a joint report to the courts. So hopefully she got what she wanted ?
It looks like the additional documents provided to her are sealed.
I see People Magazine conveniently left out the information that she got her missing documents and that’s why she drop her case. Then again I’m sure Pitt had something to do with that.
“rehash, revise and reimagine her description of an event that happened 6 years ago”.
An incident witnessed by third parties on this plane. An incident that caused airport officials to call the authorities including the useless FBI on him. She got the documents she needed from them, even if she didn’t get justice. Pitt is scrambling to manipulate this as positive PR for him.
I’m very pissed at People for referring to an incident of domestic violence as “an altercation” and “conflict”. There is enough in the public record about this incident to know that this was not a marital spat. SMDH.
Imagine the audacity of Pitt having his “source” say that it’s incredibly sad for her to rehash his abuse of the kids. It’s actually incredible sad that Pitt choked one kid and hit another one in the face. It’s incredibly sad that he then sued the her for trying to get out of business with her abuser and the abuser of her kids. BP is a disgusting pos. And the audacity of People to let this abuser continue to leak his bullshit.
And somehow not “incredibly sad” that as soon as the kids turned 18 or had the opportunity to identify themselves by name in a public-facing way, they made it clear they want nothing to do with their father – up to and including his last name.
I thought the FBI admitted they had probable cause to charge Pitt with a federal crime and not doing so violated Angelina and the children’s’ victims rights.
This was just a FOIA request to get the documents. They did do an investigation but if she wants remedy for them being wrong, she’ll have to file a lawsuit for those relief pertaining it.
Charges weren’t filed because parents hitting their children as a form of discipline is not only okay in this country but it’s been normalized and it’s almost expected or required. I can’t tell you how many people who give me the side eye when I say, if I had kids I would never spank or whup my children. Ever.
People are positively aghast. And I’ve heard horror stories of kids being lashed with extension cords, switches, rulers, shoes, belts — our society has made it okay as long as you don’t bruise the children.
In addition to that we’ve normalized the verbal abuse and mental abuse of children under the guise of tough love and just a part of being a parent.
It’s sad.
I completely agree with you, as did my mother, for which I am eternally grateful. And I turned out OK. It is NEVER ‘necessary’ to hit a child.
And still he is Hollywood golden boy.
I don’t get it.
See my post. Most people don’t think it’s a big deal. It’s sad.
He is still a bankable movie star and that is why he remains Hollywood’s golden boy.
Most of his movies have failed in the last year, and this new one is doing horribly. You can only stay relevant and golden if you’re making money.
What frustrates me are the women who support him. They also call Angelina and her kids names. Make that make sense!
Finally, Johnathan Majors’s domestic violence was flat-out wrong, and he should pay for it, but what’s the difference? He’s a man of color.
Babylon bombed and apple had so litte faith in wolfs it’s getting straight to streaming and made no noise
Angelina has a movie to promote. I’m sure she wants to devote her energy to that and not be bogged down in lawsuits. Especially not against the FBI who can cause all kinds of trouble for people.
That’s not it the F.B.I. filled in the missing documents that Angelina was requesting so she dropped the lawsuit because she got what she wanted. She was only suing them because they were not giving her the rest of the 164 documents.
As said above, the Pitt PR team put this story out with missing info to make it seem like a “win” on his part.
This is a matter of public record. People magazine is a gossip site and if they omitted details that’s on them. I don’t see the need to credit/blame either party for getting this story out. Millions have been spent on legal fees, money which could have funded the kids education.
People magazine is a mouthpiece for many PR teams if you think this wasn’t his PR at work you’re diluting yourself. If this were just People putting out this information they would have just put the whole facts ( like they have in the past ) and not leave out important info so that it favor’s Pitt.
It doesn’t matter to me who the source is, I read for information. What’s delusional is assigning a conspiratorial agenda to what is essentially celebrity fodder. You’ve taken sides and see every article as a slight to Angelina caused by Brad and his team. I’m assuming Jolie got what she needed and is moving on.
I know how PR works, and we had examples of how this crisis team works with Depp and Weinstein. People’s magazines try to play nice so as not to alienate any celebrities but has become the mouthpiece of abusers like Cosby, Depp, Weinstein, Pitt, Duggar, and more. The same is with the Daily Mail and Harry and Meghan. we know who is feeding them stories.
I don’t side with abusers.
@ Laren.
“we know who is feeding them stories”
Ok.
I hope she got what she wanted out of this.
Sometimes I really wish Angelina had a PR team, she’s letting Pitt put out there whatever narrative he wants without much of a push back. Her lawyer in the miraval case is good at clarifying things for the medias, but I wish she had more people protecting her. It’s why Pitt was able to push his lies for years
Perhaps her cautious behavior is due to the fact that her youngest children are still minors. Brad is not known for his common sense, I would be careful too if I were her.
I think the children as soon as they come of age dropping the Pitt last name. Is all that needs to be said. He isn’t the first abusive man. That has skirted any legal consequences for DV.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Brad at some point becomes a dad again in his 60’s. Because you can just make more when you ruin the first ones.
Few people would be surprised if he became a father again. It’s just a shame that the reasons he would decide to do so would be even worse than before.
I definitely think it’s the non-bio children he laid his hands on.
I think it’s because of this that there’s such a criminal lack of interest from News Org, Pitt and FBI.
Now the FBI is covering it lol wow. Pitt must be super connected.
Hollywood. CAA. Hiltzik.
Yeah, the FBI covering up anything or dropping the ball is just silly! Look how they handled the charges made against Larry Nasser by the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team. Nothing like glossing over abuse by white men as “incidents”…no scandal or need for accountability here to see, folks.
@Mirelle oh the one that was arrested, life is rightfully ruined and disgraced to hell and back that one ? where justice was served? Sorry it didn’t move fast enough for you. I’m sure they will take a tally about your assessment. Its so the same as this so the same lol
No, yupyup, it didn’t move fast enough. He was able to abuse more patients in the meantime.
This case will be cited as an example of how the FBI should not act for a long time. And if someone thinks that the FBI always acts honestly, quickly, and that they care about the well-being of the victims and the punishment of the perpetrator, then they are an idiot.
@IFoxy and Eva Then please make sure that the FBI re addresses their entire protocol because of this and that this is an FBI matter. Do you know how you sound? Yes, my own mother was a survivor of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence but guess what…. she called the cops. I hope this isn’t lost on you. Angie tried to use an avenue that would not have given her what she asked for based on what she is actually asking for and she knew it. Yes its dropped it was never going to happen and many of you said its not how it works. I’m not saying it didn’t happen I just think it was well not how you go about trying to get justice in these types of cases. usually you make a report and press charges and get a lawyer. Oh wait are the police also behind pitt too ? please
Yupyup – 1. The DV happened in federal airspace. It was appropriately handed over to the FBI. She couldn’t call the cops. 2. Angelina didn’t call anyone. My understanding is that the pilot called it in.
@Bingo #3 yes she did and she is the one dropping it. You have to make the request your self. Nice try though we are talking about who made the request.
@yupyup Bingo ESQ is correct. It’s federal airspace, and the pilot and crew called the police. He’s an attorney who is telling you correctly; you may not like it, but it’s true. That’s easy to find.
@Clove my apologies i fast posted i agree that the driver opened the initial inquiry but she opened one on what she wanted to get in paperwork for the findings because how can she drop anything she didn’t start herself? true you may not like it either.
You don’t make any sense yupyup imagine bending backwards like this to shame a victim of abuse and defend a system build to protect the abusers. How embarrassing.
Angelina wanted docs from the FBI and she got it, so she actually got what she wanted it actually.
@amberil get a grip that isn’t what I said but facts are not what you want and she won anyhow right so why are you here. I’m a fan of hers but its true. sucks right.