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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2014, the year of their wedding
Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga / dpa
The custody battle between the ex-spouses Brad Pitt (57) and Angelina Jolie (46) is now going to the Supreme Court in California.
Pitt has filed a motion with the California Supreme Court to challenge an earlier verdict in the protracted legal battle, as Fox News and USA Today reported on Thursday, citing court documents.
Jolie had won a victory in July when an appeal report approved her motion to remove private judge John Ouderkirk.
Ouderkirk had violated his "ethical obligations", quoted US media at the time from the court decision.
There would be doubts about the impartiality of the private judge.
He did not disclose other business connections to Pitt's lawyers.
Ouderkirk had previously agreed to an extension of Pitt's custody rights - and annoyed Jolie.
In the long-standing dispute over custody of the ex-couple's six biological and adopted children, Jolie and Pitt had turned on the private judge together four years ago.
Pitt's lawyers are now protesting against Ouderkirk's removal from office, as this would also undo his previous custody decision in favor of Pitt.
This is not fair to the father and also bad for the children, said Pitt's lawyer Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., according to USA Today.
After a long relationship, the actors married in 2014.
Two years later, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt, which became official in 2019.
She demanded sole custody of the six children, who are now between 13 and 20 years old.
Since then, negotiations have been going on in court about the division of custody and finances.
At 20, the eldest son, Maddox, is no longer part of the litigation.
nek / dpa