One aspect of divorce that many divorcing couples may not consider is that there is not necessarily a lot of privacy involved in the process. An example involves the ongoing divorce between actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Pitt recently requested that a California judge immediately seal all court records related to the divorce. The judge denied the request. A representative for Pitt noted that the judge declined an emergency hearing but would revisit the issue following the first of the year.
The actors, 52-year old Pitt and 41-year old Jolie, are divorcing following an alleged mid-air incident with one of their children that has been investigated by state and federal authorities. Child custody papers were recently filed that outlined a temporary custody arrangement providing Jolie with primary custody of the children and allowing Pitt visits that are monitored and at the discretion of a psychologist. The papers that were filed note that Pitt is subject to drug and alcohol testing as well.
Alternatives to traditional divorce litigation are available that may provide greater privacy and control for the couple concerning the outcome of their divorce. Collaborative divorce is not public unlike divorce documents associated with divorce litigation and the family court which are usually public record. The collaborative divorce process is intended to allow the divorcing couple to work together in a private non-adversarial environment and information shared during the process is not used if the couple later decides to litigate divorce-related issues.
It is important to keep in mind that the family law process provides different options and solutions for divorcing couples to consider. Divorcing couples should understand all the options available to them and the benefits of different options, including collaborative law and divorce mediation, when they have made the decision to divorce.
Source: Hollywood Patch, “Judge Rejects Brad Pitt’s Bid to Seal Divorce Documents,” Dec. 17, 2016
