Angelina Jolie’s Lawyer Withdraws From Custody Battle With Brad Pitt

Angelina Jolie’s legal team has experienced a shakeup amid her ongoing custody battle with estranged husband Brad Pitt. Priya Sopori, who worked alongside Angelina’s lead lawyer Samantha DeJean, filed a “Notice of Withdrawal of Attorney of Record” with the Los Angeles Superior Court on Oct. 9, according to a court document reviewed by HollywoodLife on Oct. 28 (see below).

The document doesn’t state the lawyer’s reason for withdrawing from the custody case. Angelina and Brad’s legal battle began in Sept. 2016, when Angelina filed for divorce and requested joint legal custody but primary physical custody of their six children (Maddox, 19, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, Knox, 12, and Vivienne, 12). Brad responded to her divorce filing in Nov. 2016, and requested joint legal and physical custody of their six children, according to court documents reviewed by HollywoodLife.

Four years later, and the former couple’s custody battle continues. However, they’re now fighting over custody of their five minor children, since Maddox is 19 years old and attends college. In Nov. 2018, it was reported that Angelina and Brad had reached a temporary custody agreement but that the exact details of this deal were “confidential,” per The Blast. The outlet later claimed in Dec. 2018 that Brad “gets less than 50% custody of the couple’s six children,” but will “see an increase in his custodial time with the kids.”

Angelina Jolie with four of her six children — Shiloh, Vivienne, Zahara, and Knox — at the world premiere for *Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil* in Sept. 2019. (Photo Credit: MEGA)

This didn’t mean the Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-stars’ custody and divorce battle was over, though. In August of 2020, Angelina requested to replace Judge John W. Ouderkirk, who was overseeing her divorce case with Brad, according to court documents reviewed by HollywoodLife.

Angelina’s request was reportedly denied, and the Maleficent star entered yet another custody trial with Brad that began on Oct. 5 and ended on Oct. 23. HollywoodLife even obtained a list of witnesses that the exes called to take the stand in this trial from public records, which included Angelina’s Girl, Interrupted co-star Jillian Armenante, former assistants, bodyguards, medical professionals and more.

Amid the latest development in Angelina and Brad’s custody battle, Angelina has been spotted out and about with her kids. The actress was most recently photographed taking her second eldest son, Pax, on a shopping trip on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles on Oct. 17.