“The parties and their counsel have signed agreements to preserve the privacy rights of their children and family by keeping all court documents confidential and engaging a private judge to make any necessary legal decisions and to facilitate the expeditious resolution of any remaining issues,” the actors’ reps told Us Weekly on Monday, January 9. “The parents are committed to act as a united front to effectuate recovery and reunification.”
The new arrangement comes after TMZ reported last week that Jolie, 41, had agreed to seal the court documents, one month after Pitt sought an emergency hearing to keep their legal tussle private.
The stars have been embroiled in an increasingly nasty divorce battle and fight over custody of their six children, Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 10, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 8. The children are living with Jolie, and have seen Pitt only for a few supervised visits since the split.
Pitt, 53, is seeking joint physical custody of the children, and his emergency request to seal their custody battle was dismissed. Last month, his lawyer blasted Jolie as having “no self-regulating mechanism” and alleged she was not considering the welfare of their kids by filing details of Pitt’s custody and visitation agreement with the court, making it public record. Jolie’s lawyer, Laura Wasser, in response filed legal documents claiming that Pitt wants to keep the details confidential because he’s “terrified that the public will learn the truth.”
Jolie shocked fans when she filed for divorce on September 19, after two years of marriage and 12 years together. Pitt, who made a surprise appearance to present at the Golden Globes on Sunday, was subsequently cleared of child abuse allegations by the FBI and the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services in November, in relation to an alleged incident with son Maddox on their private jet.
Article Appeared @http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/angelina-jolie-brad-pitt-agree-to-seal-divorce-documents-statement-w460224