All eyes are on Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie after their twelve-year relationship and two-year marriage crumbles to the ground. They were thought to be Hollywood’s Golden Couple. With allegations of infidelity, addiction, and child abuse surfacing, the media is in a feeding frenzy.
It is important to note that this case is taking place in California; thus, the laws governing their proceeding may differ here in Colorado.
While infidelity has limited relevance in Colorado divorce proceedings (no-fault state), addiction and abuse do have a significant effect as it pertains to child custody issues, and this alleged abuse may be what triggered Angelina to file. Brad is under investigation for alleged verbal and physical abuse towards his children. Additionally, Brad allegedly was intoxicated and “went wild,” getting physical with his children while screaming at them. At this point, these are all allegations, but if these allegations are true, Angelina may obtain primary physical custody of all six of their children. Further, Brad may only have visitation with the children if he attends therapy and undergoes random drug testing. These temporary agreements are very typical in cases where there are allegations of abuse and drug or alcohol addiction.
Supervised parenting time is usually overseen by a therapist, a third party agency, or a third party agreed upon by both parties. In this case, it is speculated that the third party is the therapist. This temporary agreement is said to last only for the next three weeks; however, any future visitation or agreement may be based on Brad’s random drug tests and progress with the therapist.
As both sides try to reach an agreement and find a way to move forward, the primary contested issue will be the custody of the parties’ six children. Some may wonder if Brad has the same legal rights to the children initially adopted by Angelina and later adopted by Brad. While the Court and the law view both parents as the same, the Court’s duty to the children is to act in the best interest of the children. The Court will most likely maintain the same schedule for all the children. However, since the allegations of abuse stem from an altercation that allegedly occurred between Brad and Maddox, the parties’ oldest son, there may be a different visitation schedule as it pertains to Maddox. These allegations of child abuse are being investigated by the Los Angeles County Department of Family Services, while the criminal charges on the private flight are being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation due to the fact that it was an international flight. As these agencies obtain more details about what abuse actually occurred, the child custody battle will become clearer.
The parties are seeking a private resolution away from the courts and the media. The parties will likely go through mediation sessions to resolve as many of the issues as they can. It is also likely that the parties will hire a private judge or arbitrator to resolve any contested issues to minimize the need for a public divorce.
In situations such as these, the Domestic Team at Cantafio & Song PLLC will not only provide you with excellent legal representation, but will also provide you real compassion as you proceed through your divorce case.
Please contact the Colorado divorce lawyers at Cantafio & Song PLLC for all of your family law needs: (888) 458-0991.