Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt reopen custody battle for their kids amid reports of his reunion with Jennifer Aniston
Although it has been more than three years since Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie called it quits on their tumultuous marriage, they are still fighting tooth and nail over the custody of their kids and if sources are to be believed, both of them are far from reaching a settlement.
The actor and actress share half a dozen kids together — 18-year-old Maddox, 16-year-old Pax, 15-year-old Zahara, 13-year-old Shiloh, and 11-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox. Since their eldest son, Maddox, is legally an adult, the former couple is locked in a fight to secure the custodial rights of the remaining five children.
The details of the court proceedings around their custody battle has remained under wraps due to both 56-year-old Pitt and 44-year-old Jolie wanting to keep their personal matters private. Nevertheless, anonymous sources have leaked tidbits of unverified information in the media over the years.
According to the latest source, despite having "spent so much cash on lawyers", there appears to be "no end in sight" when it comes to the custody battle. "Brad and Angie are so far apart on what they think is reasonable, but they’re both digging in and refusing to budge or compromise," the source revealed in a New Idea report.
As a result, the case returned to the Los Angeles County Court after "private mediation" failed. If reports are to be believed, the 'Mr and Mrs Smith' costars are prepared to "fight to the death" over the kids.
"Put simply, Brad wants a greater share of custody and Angie's fighting him," the source explained.
"He argues the kids would benefit from a psychological perspective if he were given more over-nights and extra time to bond with the kids. But he's having to jump through hoops to change the current arrangement, which Angelina argues is more than adequate."
Pitt has also self-reflected on his past behavior and lifestyle and promised to do better. "He also has to satisfy the courts he's still sober, too, plus prove he's learned from the mistakes he's freely admitted making," the insider claimed.
Jolie's "burning desire to move abroad" and take the kids with her had made negotiations more complicated as the court has disallowed her from doing so given that Pitt is settled in LA and hence the kids have to be in town to visit him on scheduled dates.
“LA is the kids' home and he'll be damned if he's going to fly around the world for partial visitation. He also makes the argument that he's paid many millions over the years in child support – something that Angelina bitterly contests," the source added.
Pitt "refuses point-blank" to let his ex-wife take the kids with her permanently and move to another country. "Brad's very frustrated and claims Angelina is being totally unreasonable, but she's more determined than ever to dig in. She’ll never forget or forgive what he put the family through and thinks he has an incredible nerve to try and call any shots – however much he may claim to have turned his life around," the source said.
As a result, both parties are stuck as far as negotiations go and it is unlikely that the matter will be resolved anytime soon. "The sheer distrust and dislike they have towards each other only make each of them more determined to come out on top – and they are saying money's no object until a final decision is made," the source said.