For today’s celebrity docket, we’re going to check back in with one of our most closely followed celebrity docket cases: Brad Pitt vs. Angelina Jolie. Their divorce and related custody case is STILL ongoing. If you've not yet read our blog, “A Case of Déjà Vu,” peruse it first to get the backstory on this legal saga. 

Over the last few months, both sides’ legal teams have been preparing for a final contested custody trial involving the five minor children of the marriage. Now that the trial is about to begin, Brad has changed his goals and stated he intends to seek “...50 percent of custody [time with the children]" and to ensure "visitation dates and overnight stays [are] set in stone,” according to a recent story from The U.S. Sun. Angelina does not want this custody schedule. In pursuit of their goals, both parties are set to call tens of witnesses to build their cases. This means hours and hours of testimony that the Judge must weed through before making a final decision at the end of December 2020. 

If the parties lived in Virginia, the stated custody scenario Brad seeks is concerned with the children's “physical custody” arrangement. Simply put, physical custody of a child addresses where/with whom that child lives. A child can either be in a primary physical or shared physical custody situation and the category is defined based on the number of overnights the child spends with each parent during a calendar year. Brad seeks shared physical custody of the children, in the most tradition sense of the term. However, regardless of Brad and Angelina's positions, if in Virginia, the judge would is only concerned with the custody arrangement that is in the best interest of the children. This is based on no less than 10 factors addressed in the Code of Virginia, which must be communicated in any final custody decision. We’ll have to wait to see what the California judge will do now that Brad’s position has changed. As we say, stay tuned.

If you have questions about your custody case, our attorneys at Morris Williams LLC, will take the time to discuss the unique circumstances of your matter and answer your questions, so we can empower you to make the best decisions for your, and your child's, future. Contact us today to schedule a consultation by calling (757) 266-9425 or email us at admin@morriswilliamslaw.com.