Angelina Jolie Their divorce won a huge victory on Friday Brad Pitt If the California Court of Appeals agrees, the private judge who decides on child custody should be disqualified.
The Second District Court of Appeals agreed with Jolly that Judge John W. Orderkirk did not fully disclose his relationship with Pitt’s attorney.
“Judge Ouderkirk’s ethical violation is considered fair to the objective person who knows all the facts, given the information about his recent professional relationship with Pitt’s attorney. It can reasonably have doubts about an ability. Disqualification is required, ”ruled the court.
That decision means the custody battle over the couple’s five minor children, who were nearing its end, may have only just begun.
The judge has already ruled that the couple is divorced but separated the issue of custody.
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Like many celebrity couples, Pitt and Jolly chose to hire their own judge to improve their privacy in the divorce process.
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“The appeal court’s decision was based on technical procedural issues. The facts haven’t changed. Many experts who have testified as judges have drawn clear conclusions about what is included. There is so much factual evidence that has led us to achieve it. It’s in the children’s best interests. “We will continue to do what is legally required based on detailed research into what is best for our children.”
Details of the custody decision were not made public.
Jolie and Pitt have six children: 19-year-old Maddox, 17-year-old Pax, 16-year-old Zahara, 15-year-old Shiloh, 12-year-old Vivienne, and 12-year-old Knox. Only five minors are subject to custody decisions.
Order Kirk refused to disqualify himself when Jolly asked him for his August submission. A lower court judge ruled that Jolly’s request for disqualification was too late. Jolly’s attorney then appealed.
The July 9 hearing in the Court of Appeals focused precisely on what ethical rules should be applied to private judges, who are usually retired judges in higher courts such as Ouderkirk. ..
“If you want to act as a paid private judge who has to act by the rules and the rules are very clear, you need full transparency,” said Jolly’s lawyer Robert. said Olsson. “Matters that need to be disclosed have not been disclosed.”
Pitt’s attorney Theodore Boutros said the disqualification attempt was a deadlocked tactic by Jolly to prevent Order Kirk’s recent preliminary custody decision in favor of Pitt from going into effect.
The court cited several cases, including the divorce from Stephen Levitan, the co-founder of the Modern Family. In this case, Order did not fully, promptly, or fully disclose Pitt’s business relationship with an attorney.
The panel questioned whether such an agreement should be allowed in California, but their decision only applies to religious churches.
Jolly, 46, and Pitt, 57, have been one of Hollywood’s most prominent couples for 12 years. Ouderkirk was in charge of the couple’s 2014 wedding and was hired to oversee the divorce when Jolie filed for divorce in 2016. Problems remained, including finances and child custody.
In May, Jolly and her lawyer, Order Kirk, criticized her for not allowing the couple’s children to testify in the trial.
The actress also said the judge “did not fully consider” the section of California’s Courts Act and transferring custody to someone with a history of domestic violence would be in the best interests of the child. It is said to be harmful. Her file gave no details of what it meant, but her lawyer produced a sealed document in March that allegedly contained additional information. ..
The ruling does not mention whether children are allowed to testify in the case.
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