The judge overseeing the current divorce proceedings between Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie has spoken out against claims he’s “biased”.
Angelina, 45, has previously asked for Judge John W Ouderkirk to be taken off the case following claims he had failed to reveal a relationship between himself and the law firm representing Brad Pitt.
However, Ouderkirk has since slammed these claims, insisting he will continue to oversee the proceedings as they play out.
Court documents obtained by ET suggest that Ouderkirk will “consider accepting” other cases which may arise in the near future.
Angelina has previously insisted that John W Ouderkirk be removed from overseeing her divorce proceedings (Image: Getty Images)
Lawyers representing Brad Pitt later hit out against Angelina Jolie, saying that the prior relationships were “fully disclosed” to the Lara Croft actress.
The documents by Ouderkirk reads: “I will continue to consider accepting other cases as other additional cases may arise from time to time while the Jolie/Pitt case is still pending.”
He added: “Such other cases might involve party, lawyer‚ law firm and/or witnesses involved in the Jolie/Pitt matter.”
The judge has insisted that he is “impartial” in the proceedings (Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
The former Hollywood “It” couple tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in 2014 before starting divorce proceedings in 2016, citing irreconcilable differences.
Brad Pitt had previously accused his ex-wife of attempting to delay proceedings ahead of their child custody hearing.
Court documents claim that Brad had branded Angelina’s move as a “Hail Mary”, a term which is used to delay a game of American football.
The former “It” couple are now facing child custody battles (Image: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Legal representatives for Jolie later issued a statement, saying the mother-of-six simply wanted a fair trial.
“All my client is asking for is a fair trial based on facts, with no special favours extended to either side,” said Samantha Bley DeJean.
“The only way litigants can trust the process is for everyone involved to ensure that there’s transparency and impartiality.”
A 2019 court order ruled that they had been granted single status but they are yet to finalise their divorce and child custody arrangements for Maddox, 19, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 12.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
