A lawsuit filed by a 'Jane Doe' appears to possibly be connected to the incident between the former couple.
Angelina Jolie could potentially be in the midst of suing the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
A woman identified as Jane Doe in court documents obtained by ET is suing the FBI for information regarding their investigation into an incident of alleged domestic violence on a private jet several years ago that matches the description of the incident that led to Jolie's split from ex Brad Pitt. ET has reached out to reps for both Jolie and Pitt for comment.
According to court documents, "Jane Doe" says in the lawsuit that she has "public status" and wants to remain anonymous.
The suit, filed under the Freedom of Information Act, is seeking information "about the agency’s investigation of an incident of domestic violence that occurred several years ago involving plaintiff and her minor children as victims and witnesses."
"Several years ago, while plaintiff, her then-husband, and their children, who were all minors at the time, were traveling via private aircraft, the husband allegedly physically and verbally assaulted plaintiff and the children," Doe claims in the lawsuit.
Doe explains that the FBI opened an investigation but "publicly announced it was closing its investigation of the incident without further action," and did not notify her of their decision to do so.
The lawsuit states that Doe's FOIA request is part of an effort to "better understand the FBI’s investigation and obtain information necessary for her children to receive medical care and trauma counseling" over the incident.
Doe alleges that the responses she has received to her request have been "legally insufficient," and she has filed the lawsuit challenging "defendants' withholding of additional records."
Regarding the decision to file the suit anonymously, the lawsuit states, "The potential exposure of private details about the assault and its impact on the children's physical and mental health risks great harm to the children," and that the risk to her children "is greater still due to plaintiff’s public status."
A source familiar with Jolie and Pitt's longstanding custody battle tells ET that the FBI investigated Pitt in 2016 for the incident that took place on their private plane and found no wrongdoing, noting that both sides in the matter have been given information regarding this investigation.
A spokesperson for the FBI stated that agency policy "prohibits comment on pending litigation."
Meanwhile, Amanda Kramer, the attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Jane Doe, tells ET, "I am unable to comment on the identity of Jane Doe, who has sought to preserve the family's privacy. Our position is that victims and survivors should be able to access federal agency records of crimes they experienced or reported, as is common at the state level, so they can advocate for health and trauma care and legal protections for their children and themselves."
The plane incident involving Pitt and Jolie occurred in September 2016. The FBI opened an investigation into Pitt over claims that during a family flight home from Europe, Pitt allegedly got into an argument with a then 15-year-old Maddox.
On Nov. 22, 2016, the FBI released a statement to ET: "In response to allegations made following a flight within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States which landed in Los Angeles carrying Mr. Brad Pitt and his children, the FBI has conducted a review of the circumstances and will not pursue further investigation. No charges have been filed in this matter."
ET spoke with legal expert Rachel Stockman, who shed more light on the case.
"If this is indeed Angelina, depending on what the FBI reports say, it could potentially be critical in her proceedings against her ex-husband, Brad Pitt," Stockman said. "The problem is, she doesn't know what the documents say. She doesn't know what the FBI found out and that's exactly what she's trying to find out. It very well could be damning against Brad Pitt -- she doesn't know. Her attorneys are hoping basically that they'll find something, I would assume, that they can use in their litigations."
In February, Pitt sued Jolie for selling Chateau Miraval Winery, which he is part owner of, to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler. The two bought the Correns, France-located winery back in 2008 and Pitt claims he invested a ton of money and time in the winery over the years. The actor is seeking monetary damages, legal fees and for Jolie's sale of Miraval to Shefler to be voided. In a statement to ET at the time, Jolie's attorney, Robert Olson, said his client had "not yet been served, and we are instead learning about the complaint from the media who appear to have been given access to the report to create a press story prior to Ms. Jolie even being served."
Stockman noted to ET, "We certainly don't know if she's wanting to use [the FBi files] in a custody battle or in another lawsuit that she has currently ongoing against Pitt involving an alcohol business. But she wants to know what's in these files and if they do become public, everyone will most likely be able to see them, including the public, so it could certainly be bad, PR-wise, for Pitt as well if these documents became public."
For more on Pitt and Jolie's tumultuous split, see the video below.
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