Brad Pitt was recently the subject in an anonymously filed lawsuit against the FBI. It’s now come to light that Angelina Jolie, Pitt’s former wife, was named as the plaintiff. She sued the FBI in order to obtain sealed documents from her infamous 2016 lawsuit against Pitt. However, the actor doesn’t appear to be seeking redemption even as other male superstars such as Shia LaBeouf and Johnny Depp are winning in the court of public opinion.
Trouble In The Air
In the 2016 lawsuit, Variety reports that Jolie accused Pitt of verbally and physically assaulting both her and their children on a private plane. In the FBI notes, Jolie accuses Pitt of grabbing her by the shoulders and shouting, “You’re f*cking up this family.” In fact, Jolie alleges that she suffered injuries from an altercation with Pitt on the plane.
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The thing is, Pitt wasn’t just accused of assaulting Jolie. He also allegedly physically assaulted his then 15-year-old son, Maddox. The couple’s son had intervened in Pitt’s altercation with Jolie, and Pitt admitted to putting his hands on the boy. However, Pitt denied that he physically hurt his son.
As a way to uncover the sealed documents related to the case, Jolie filed a Freedom of Information Act suit against the FBI. In the now-amended complaint from Jolie, “Ms. Doe has been seeking the withheld information for [several] years in an effort to ensure that her children receive qualified … care and … counseling to address harm suffered. … Information withheld by DOJ and the FBI contains evidence of the harm.”
Finding Redemption In The Court of Public Opinion
Although charges were never filed against Pitt, public opinion is still split on the issue, and the former couple’s legal saga is far from over. People shares how the exes continue to file lawsuits and countersuits against one another as they disagree about their French estate, Château Miraval.
If Pitt continues to sue his ex-wife, can he find redemption in the court of public opinion? Maybe. If he takes a page out of Johnny Depp’s playbook, he may even win over the public. If that doesn’t work for Pitt, perhaps he could take a cue from Shia LaBeouf and apologize for his actions. According to People, LaBeouf recognizes the pain he has caused people and continues to seek amends.
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If there’s any hope for Brad Pitt, he must change course and begin his own redemption tour. Is the actor ready for that change of course? Only time will tell.