Brangelina Divorce Watch: Brad Pitt Cleared in Child Abuse Investigation

Actor Brad Pitt was cleared of alleged child abuse after being investigated by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

The accusation stemmed from an incident on a private plane in September–occurring one day before Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt after two years of marriage.

A representative for Angelina Jolie told FOX411 that the actress was relieved Pitt had been cleared:

The job of the [Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services] is to make sure the children are in a safe and secure situation. As we said earlier this week, childcare professionals encouraged a legal agreement accepted and signed by both sides that was in the best interest of the children. Angelina said from the beginning that she felt she had to take action for the health of the family and is relieved that after their 8-week involvement, the DCFS is now satisfied the safeguards are put in place that will allow the children to heal.

Jolie is seeking sole physical custody of the couple’s six children–currently, she has full custody and Pitt is following an agreement that allows him “therapeutic visits” with his children.

A source familiar with the situation told Vanity Fair that some reports may be misrepresenting the situation:

Angelina has never accused him of child abuse, she wasn’t the one who asked for the D.C.F.S. to become involved. All she’s ever said is that she was concerned about the health of the family. If you take a look at the facts, they are indisputable. D.C.F.S. was involved for eight weeks. Child abuse is kind of the ceiling; the fact that he was cleared for child abuse doesn’t mean that nothing happened on the plane. Something required the safeguards that were put in place . . . If nothing happened, why would the current legal agreement that was encouraged by child-care professionals keep the kids in custody with therapeutic visits from Brad.

Pitt filed paperwork with the Los Angeles Superior Court last Friday seeking joint and physical custody. On Tuesday, Pitt appeared at a public event for the first time since the split was reported. The event promoted his new film “Allied” which will hit theaters nationwide on November 23.

Bryan White

Bryan is an editorial intern at Law Street Media from Stratford, NJ. He is a sophomore at American University, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. When he is not reading up on the news, you can find him curled up with an iced chai and a good book. Contact Bryan at BWhite@LawStreetMedia.com.