Jolie seeks removal of Judge Ouderkirk

Angelina Jolie asked for the private judge, who is overseeing her divorce from Brad Pitt, to be disqualified from the case because of insufficient disclosures of his business relationships with one of the latter's attorneys. In a filing in Los Angeles Superior Court, Jolie argued that Judge John W Ouderkirk should be taken off the divorce case that she had filed in 2016 because he was too late and not forthcoming enough about other cases he was hired for, involving Pitt attorney Anne C Kiley.

It also said that during the Jolie-Pitt proceedings, Ouderkirk has "failed to disclose the cases that demonstrated the current, ongoing, repeat-customer relationship between the judge and respondent's counsel." It further revealed 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." An email to Kiley and Pitt's lead attorney Lance Spiegel seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Jolie's attorneys have sought in private proceedings to have Ouderkirk disqualify himself, but the filing says Pitt's side has insisted on keeping him. Brad and Angelina were declared divorced and the surname 'Pitt' was dropped from her name, in April of 2019.