At one point in time they were the IT couple of Hollywood, a pairing with enough collective star quality to outshine even the brightest of lights.

Sadly, the union between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie was ultimately destined for disaster, and these days any headlines happening to mention them both in the same breath are most always focused on the negative aspects of their divorce and ensuing court battles.

According to reports, a new court filing has alleged that Brad Pitt’s “physical abuse” against his ex-wife began before the now infamous 2016 plane incident.

The two A-listers have locked horns in recent years over the sale of a French winery they bought while still together, their once strong bond shattered into sharpened fragments in plain view of the public eye.

In 2022 Pitt sued Jolie and her former company Nouvel for selling her half of the winery – it’s been claimed by Pitt that the two of them had agreed not to sell their shares without gaining the other’s approval first. The actor said that his ex-wife had consequently “jeopardize[d] the reputation of the business that Pitt so carefully built”.

Jolie then struck back, alleging in court documents that Pitt had become abusive during a plane ride from France to California in 2016. The Tomb Raider star accused Pitt of “grabbing” her “by the head” before also becoming physically abusive towards two of their children.

Days after said plane journey, Jolie filed for divorce, and the couple’s separation was finalized legally in 2019. For his part Pitt has denied the accusations, while an investigation into the incident was launched by federal authorities, though no criminal charges were filed.

New reports have now revealed that fresh papers from Jolie’s legal team were submitted to Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, April 4. They imply that the physical abuse from Brad began earlier than previously believed.

CNN obtained a copy of the motion, which reads: “While Pitt’s history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family’s September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles, this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well. Jolie then immediately left him.”

The papers fail to go into further detail regarding the alleged abuse, but do assert Jolie’s intention to “prove through through testimony, emails, photographs, and other evidence why Pitt was so concerned about his own misconduct that he blew up his own deal to purchase Jolie’s interest in Miraval because she refused to agree to his new, expansive NDA.”

It’s also alleged that Jolie offered to sell her half of the aforementioned French winery to Pitt, but he would only agree on the condition that she sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Reportedly, said NDA would have “prohibited Jolie from speaking (other than in court) about Pitt’s abuse of Jolie and their children by attempting to tie Pitt’s personal reputation to Miraval’s business.”

Pitt’s team have yet to respond to Jolie’s filing alleging abuse earlier than the plane ride from France to LA, but PEOPLE quote a source close to the actor as having said: “This is a pattern of behavior – whenever there is a decision that goes against the other side they consistently choose to introduce misleading, inaccurate and/or irrelevant information as a distraction.

“There was a lengthy custody trial that involved the entire history of their relationship and a judge who heard all the evidence still granted him 50/50 custody.”

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