Brad Pitt Wins Bid To Dismiss Angelina Jolie's Petition To Remove Judge Overseeing Their Divorce

Brad Pitt wins his bid to retain the judge overseeing his divorce from ex-wife Angelina Jolie.

Pitt, 56, and Jolie, 45, have parted ways for four years already, but their divorce has not been finalized yet even if both were declared legally single last year. On Monday, the Superior Court of California in Orange County ruled that Judge John W. Ouderkirk will continue to oversee the exes' divorce case following Jolie's request to remove him and Pitt's motion to dismiss her request.

Based on the ruling, Judge Ouderkirk properly disclosed his involvement with the law firm representing Pitt before he was assigned the case. The ruling also stated that Jolie's bid to remove the judge is "untimely" given that the "Maleficent" star was aware of his appointment for over two years already, People reported.

On Aug. 7, Jolie filed a request to remove Judge Ouderkirk from the divorce case. She alleged that he "failed to make timely mandatory disclosures of ongoing business and professional relationships between himself" and Pitt's legal counsel. Jolie claimed that the judge didn't disclose the other divorce cases he was working with Pitt's lawyers.

After a week, Pitt responded to Jolie's request by filing for a motion to dismiss her petition. His filing stressed that replacing Ouderkirk was a "thinly veiled attempt" to delay the adjudication of their long-pending custody battle and their six children were "the individuals hurt most by Jolie’s transparently tactical gambit."

"They continue to be deprived over a resolution to these custody issues. Therefore Jolie’s motion should be denied," Pitt's lawyers wrote in their filing.

Pitt's lawyers stressed that Judge Ouderkirk's history of working with them was well-documented and he was hand-selected by Jolie to preside over their wedding in 2014. Also, he served neutrally in several matters involving both sides of the case.

"Judge Ouderkirk has also accepted additional new engagements involving opposing counsel during the pendency of this action — a fact fully disclosed to Jolie, and still she has never objected to his continued involvement in this proceeding until now. On the contrary, Jolie has stipulated three times to extend Judge Ouderkirk’s appointment," Pitt's filing read.

At the time, Jolie's lawyer said they only wanted a fair trial.

"The only way litigants can trust the process is for everyone involved to ensure that there is transparency and impartiality,” Jolie's attorney, Samantha Bley DeJean, said.