REUTERS – Actor Brad Pitt’s request to seal court documents in his high-profile custody and divorce proceedings involving actress Angelina Jolie was rejected by a Los Angeles judge on Wednesday (December 7).
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard Burdge Jr. rejected Pitt’s motion at an emergency hearing, a court spokeswoman said. Pitt and Jolie did not attend.
While Burdge ruled against sealing the entire case, he said requests to seal specific documents would be considered, especially given that the six children at the center of the custody case are all minors.
“The court recognizes privacy rights of minor children and would be guided by what’s in the minor children’s best interest,” Burdge said.
Jolie’s representatives did not respond to phone and email messages from Reuters seeking comment, and Pitt’s representatives said the actor would not comment on the matter.
Jolie, 41, and Pitt, 52, known collectively as “Brangelina,” were together since 2005 and married for two years before their sudden split in September, which has been widely covered by news media.
Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt, citing irreconcilable differences, after an incident on a private plane in which Pitt was reported to have lost his temper in front of one or more of the children.
At the time, she said she made the decision “for the health of the family,” and is seeking full physical custody of their children. The couple share adopted sons Maddox and Pax, adopted daughter Zahara and three biological children, Shiloh Nouvel and twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline, aged between 8 and 15.
Pitt, 52, was cleared in the incident last month by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. He has filed for joint custody of the children.