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Angelina Jolie details abuse allegations against Brad Pitt in countersuit over shared winery

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's legal battle over their formerly shared winery continues to shine light on allegations of abuse the actress has levied against her ex.

In a cross-complaint filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday and obtained by The New York Times, Jolie claims negotiations to sell her share of the winery to Pitt fell through after he demanded that she sign "a nondisclosure agreement that would have contractually prohibited her from speaking outside of court about Pitt's physical and emotional abuse of her and their children."

The filing details the alleged incident on the former couple's private plane that preceded their divorce. As previously reported, Jolie has accused Pitt of physically and emotionally abusing her and their children while inebriated on a flight from France to California in September 2016. Pitt has denied any abuse.

The new filing, obtained by PEOPLE, reads, "When one of the children verbally defended Jolie, Pitt lunged at his own child and Jolie grabbed him from behind to stop him. To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane's seats injuring Jolie's back and elbow. The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face. Some of the children pleaded with Pitt to stop. They were all frightened."

Per PEOPLE, the new suit alleges that Pitt "periodically emerged from the back of the plane to yell and swear at them" and "at one point, he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children."

Attorneys for Jolie didn't respond to EW's request for comment about the countersuit.

An attorney for Pitt said in a statement to EW, "Brad has owned everything he's responsible for from day one — unlike the other side — but he's not going to own [up to] anything he didn't do. He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation. Thankfully, the various public authorities the other side has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions. Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done."

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt

Samir Hussein/WireImage; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services launched an investigation into the incident at the time and ruled that Pitt did not physically abuse any of his children. Since federal authorities have jurisdiction over flights, the FBI also conducted an investigation and declined to bring criminal charges against Pitt. But in her cross-complaint filed Tuesday, Jolie reportedly states that the FBI agent who investigated the allegations had "concluded that the government had probable cause to charge Pitt with a federal crime for his conduct that day."

According to a heavily redacted FBI report, which came to light earlier this year after Jolie anonymously submitted a Freedom of Information Act request, the FBI agent who investigated the case provided the United States Attorney's Office with "copies of a probable cause statement related to this incident." However, the report went on to state that "after reviewing the document, representative of the United States Attorney's Office discussed the merits of this investigation with the case agent. It was agreed by all parties that criminal charges in this case would not be pursued due to several factors."

The redacted FBI report also included many of the same allegations made by Jolie in her countersuit on Tuesday. According to the report, Pitt led Jolie to the back of the plane, where he grabbed her by the head and shoulders and shook her while yelling, "You're f---ing up this family." Pitt also allegedly punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, and later, when two of their children, whose names were redacted, asked if Jolie was okay, Pitt allegedly yelled, "No, mommy's not okay. She's ruining this family."

As for their lawsuit over their formerly shared winery, Chateau Miraval, Pitt sued Jolie in February for breach of contract, alleging that she violated "contractual expectations" when she sold her share of the winery to spirits manufacturer Tenute del Mondo. According to his suit, Pitt and Jolie agreed that they would never sell their respective shares without the other's consent. In her countersuit filed Tuesday, Jolie reportedly claims that no such agreement existed. She also reportedly states that she chose to sell, in part, because she felt uncomfortable owning an alcohol-related business considering Pitt's "acknowledged problem of alcohol abuse." Pitt has been open about his struggles with alcohol, telling The New York Times in 2019 that he spent time in Alcoholics Anonymous and was committed to sobriety after his divorce.

Pitt and Jolie, who were declared legally single in 2019, are parents to Maddox, 21; Pax, 18; Zahara, 17; Shiloh, 16; and 14-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

This article has been updated with a statement from Pitt's attorney.

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