Brad Pitt has filed new legal papers in his divorce proceedings with estranged wife Angelina Jolie, taking aim at her claim that the actor has paid “no meaningful child support” since the couple’s separation more than a year ago.
In a response to a filing from Jolie on Tuesday, Pitt’s legal team calls Jolie’s filing a “thinly veiled effort to manipulate media coverage.”
The new papers, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, also say that Pitt has laid out more than $9 million for the benefit of Jolie and their children.
“Petitioner’s request is unnecessary, omits material information and is a thinly veiled effort to manipulate media coverage,” Wednesday’s filing reads, adding, “There is no need for a Case Management Conference to schedule a hearing or filing deadlines regarding child support.”
According to the new filing, lawyers in the divorce proceedings held a conference call with the judge last week, and Jolie’s legal team “made no mention of any child support issues.”
Wednesday’s filing continues, “Respondent adamantly disputes the contention that he has not paid significant child support. Respondent has previously loaned Petitioner $8 million to assist her in purchasing her current residence and has paid over $1.3 million in bills for the benefit of Petitioner and the minor children.”
The new court filing comes a day after Jolie filed her own papers, saying that she wants their marriage to be dissolved by the end of the year.
In the papers, Jolie also says that Pitt has “paid no meaningful child support” since their separation.
The papers make note of “informal arrangements around the payment of the children’s expenses,” but says they “have not been regularly sustained” by Pitt for “over a year and a half.”
The papers add that Jolie plans to file “for the establishment of a retroactive child support order.”
“Brangelina,” as they were dubbed by the media, met on the set of the 2005 action movie “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” in which they played rival assassins who also happen to be married to each other. There was widespread speculation at the time that their relationship began on the set and that Pitt divorced Jennifer Aniston so he could be with Jolie.
They were officially married in a private ceremony at a French chateau in August 2014.
Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016, citing irreconcilable differences. The actress also requested sole physical custody of their six children, offering Pitt visitation rights and joint legal custody. Pitt officially adopted three of Jolie’s children, while Jolie gave birth to three more children of their own over the course of their relationship.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.