Angelina Jolie’s latest ‘tactic’ amid court war with Brad Pitt is a ‘low blow’, says friend

Angelina Jolie’s move in her high-profile court war against ex-husband Brad Pitt has been making headlines ever since she demanded the disqualification of a private judge.

A family friend of the couple has now hit out at the Salt actor over her recent step, claiming this was a ‘low blow’ and a tactic to ‘stall’ the process as Pitt was likely to win the settlement.

During an interview with The Sun, the source said that Jolie is simply using this as an excuse to delay the situation as things don’t seem to be rolling out in her favour.

“This is a low blow from Ange and a typical stall tactic used by people who don't like how the case is going,” the family friend told the outlet.

"If you feel you are winning, you don't try and stop the process and change the referee, so Ange’s latest move is testament to her frustration at the settlement not going her way,” they added.

"If it was, she would never want to rock the boat by requesting for their private judge to be removed. Ange’s filing only serves the interests of someone who wants the process to continue indefinitely as it's going to further delay their divorce being finalized and drag it out even longer,” they went on to say.

Earlier on Monday, Jolie filed a motion stating that Judge John W. Ouderkirk has allegedly “failed to disclose the cases that demonstrated the current, ongoing, repeat-customer relationship between the judge and [Pitt’s] counsel.”

In the court documents registered with the Los Angeles Superior Court, the actor had claimed that Pitt’s attorney "actively advocated for Judge Ouderkirk’s financial interests in moving - over the opposing party’s opposition - to have his appointment (and his ability to continue to receive fees) extended in a high profile case."

According to the paperwork, "It doesn’t matter if Judge Ouderkirk is actually biased. Under California law disqualification is required so long as a person aware of the facts ‘might reasonably entertain a doubt’ about Judge Ouderkirk’s ability to remain impartial."

Samantha Bley DeJean, Jolie’s divorce attorney said: "As is set forth in the filing, all my client is asking for is a fair trial based on facts, with no special favors extended to either side.”

"The only way litigants can trust the process is for everyone involved to ensure that there is transparency and impartiality,” she added.

Jolie and Pitt have been in the midst of a legal battle since she filed for a divorce back in 2016, only two years after they got married.

The two are parents to six children, Maddox, 19, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 12.