Brad Pitt seeks joint custody of children with Angelina Jolie
Los Angeles, United States - Hollywood actor Brad Pitt wants joint custody of his six children with actress Angelina Jolie, celebrity gossip website TMZ and People magazine reported Friday.
After more than a decade together and just two years after their marriage, Jolie asked Pitt for a divorce on Sept. 19 and sought full legal custody of their six children: three adopted - Maddox (Cambodia), Pax (Vietnam) and Zahara (Ethiopia) - and three biological - Shiloh and the twins Knox and Vivienne, with visitation rights for Pitt.
On Friday, Pitt filed his legal response to Jolie's divorce petition, in which he asked for joint legal and physical custody of the children. Negotiations for a divorce settlement between one of the most respected and popular Hollywood couples are being carried out by the actors' lawyers, without any direct participation by Pitt and Jolie.
"Brad and Angie haven't had any contact, and it's all being worked out via their teams. It's just a sad situation," a source close to the family told People.
The custody of the children has been a point of contention between Pitt, 52, and Jolie, 41, especially after reports that it was his behavior towards the children that prompted Jolie to file for divorce. The L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services launched an investigation after an alleged incident on a private airplane in September, when Pitt was verbally and physically abusive towards his 15-year-old son Maddox.
The couple subsequently reached a temporary deal on the custody of their six children, by which the actress has physical custody of the six youngsters and the actor has visiting rights with the children.
