Jolie calls for removal of private judge in divorce from Pitt
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Angelina Jolie is seeking to have a private judge overseeing her divorce from Brad Pitt disqualified because he did not provide enough information about her business relationship with an attorney for the actor.
In a document filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Jolie argues that Judge John W. Ouderkirk should withdraw from the divorce case that she filed in 2016 because he did not indicate in time or was clear enough about other cases for which He was hired related to Pitt attorney Anne C. Kiley.
It says that during the Jolie-Pitt trials, Ouderkirk "did not disclose the cases that demonstrated the current, ongoing and assiduous relationship between the judge and the defendant's attorney."
It adds that Pitt's attorney "actively advocated for Judge Ouderkirk's financial interests - over the opposition of the other party - so that her appointment (and ability to continue receiving fees) be extended to a high-profile case."
Kiley and Pitt's main attorney, Lance Spiegel, did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
Pitt and Jolie, like other famous couples, pay for a private judge in their divorce case to keep many of their personal and financial documents and details sealed, although some legal proceedings must be done standard in court.
Jolie's request emphasizes that a private judge must follow the same disclosure and conflict of interest rules as anyone else.
The document says that “it does not matter whether Judge Ouderkirk is in fact biased. Under California law, disqualification is required whenever a person familiar with the facts "can have a reasonable doubt" about Judge Ouderkirk's ability to remain impartial. "
Jolie's lawyers have sought in private proceedings for Ouderkirk to disqualify himself, but the document indicates that Pitt's lawyers have insisted on upholding it.
Pitt and Jolie filed for divorce in April 2019 after their attorneys called for a bifurcated trial, meaning that two married people can plead single while other issues are resolved, including finances and child custody.
Because most of the documents are sealed, it is unclear what remains to be resolved, but Jolie submitted documents in 2018 saying Pitt was not paying enough support, something the actor's attorneys disputed and called an effort to manipulate the coverage. media about the break.
Jolie, 44, and Pitt, 56, were a couple for 12 years and had been married for two when the actress filed for divorce in 2016. The ex-partner has six children.
