Why Maddox Jolie-Pitt Isn’t Required to See Dad Brad Pitt Amid Custody Drama with Angelina Jolie
Brad Pitt is getting in some time with his kids per a court order — but it doesn’t apply to his eldest son.
Before he starts filming his latest movie, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Pitt is visiting London thanks to a court-mandated schedule that allows him to spend time with his children, who live full-time with mom Angelina Jolie as she films Maleficent 2 in the U.K.
A judge involved in Pitt and Jolie’s divorce proceedings stated in court documents obtained by PEOPLE on Tuesday that it’s “critical” for each of the kids to have a “healthy and strong relationship with their father” and that the actress could lose full custody of Maddox, 16, Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and 9-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox if they are prevented from properly bonding with their dad.
The court laid out a detailed plan for how many hours per day Pitt, 54, will spend with each child through July 29. But his oldest son isn’t included in the timetable. That’s because according to the court, Maddox is old enough to decide for himself how much time he wants to spend with his father.
The other five children, though, must abide by the strict schedule.
RELATED VIDEO: Angelina Jolie Could Lose Primary Custody of Kids If Brad Pitt Isn’t Allowed Access: Report
“If the minor children remain closed down to their father and depending on the circumstances surrounding this condition, it may result in a reduction of the time they spend with [Jolie] and may result in the Court ordering primary physical custody to [Pitt],” read the documents, first reported on by The Blast.
When Pitt returns home to California, he is allowed to decide whether the kids stay at his house in L.A. — the former family residence — and Jolie can only call once a day at a previously agreed upon time while they are in his care.
A spokesperson for Jolie responded to the release of the court papers on Wednesday, calling the leak “deplorable.”
“This misleading leak is not in the best interests of the children,” the representative said in a statement. “From the start, Angelina has been focused only on their health and needs, which is why it was so important that this last court hearing be conducted privately. It’s deplorable that someone, for their own selfish reasons, leaked selective portions of the confidential and sealed court record to create an inaccurate and unfair picture of what is really happening.”
Related Video:
