Brad Pitt has vowed to appeal the decision to disqualify the private judge being used in his fierce divorce battle with Angelina Jolie — one that effectively scuppered his joint custody win.
As Page Six revealed, the Hollywood star was given joint custody of their five minor children in a preliminary decision by Judge John W. Ouderkirk in May.
But in a big win for Jolie, a California appeals court on Friday disqualified Judge Ouderkirk, ruling that he didn’t sufficiently disclose business relationships with Pitt’s attorneys.
This renders Judge Ouderkirk’s custody decision effectively moot and means that Jolie, for the moment, retains full-time custody, with Pitt granted visitation rights.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Pitt told us: “The appeals court ruling was based on a technical procedural issue.
In the ruling, seen by Page Six on Friday, the 2nd District Court of Appeal said: “Judge Ouderkirk’s ethical breach, considered together with the information disclosed concerning his recent professional relationships with Pitt’s counsel, might cause an objective person, aware of all the facts, reasonably to entertain a doubt as to the judge’s ability to be impartial. Disqualification is required,” the court ruled.
The decision means that the custody fight over the couple’s children has to start over.
