Cordell & Cordell CEO and Executive/Managing Partner Scott Trout was recently quoted at length in a story on Avvo about the divorce of celebrities Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
One of the major issues in the divorce concerns the custody of the children’s three adopted children who were adopted first by Ms. Jolie, prior to the couple’s marriage, and subsequently by Mr. Pitt.
Although the timeline seems convoluted, the legal ramifications are more concrete.
“The fact that Brad subsequently adopted the children doesn’t affect the custody issues in this case, regardless of the timing of the adoptions,” Mr. Trout said. “In the eyes of the court and once the adoptions became legal, both [adoptive parents] have equal rights – the relationship and the matters in determining custody upon divorce are no different than if the children were biologically theirs.”
Mr. Trout also discussed the potential fallout of the allegations concerning Mr. Pitt’s drug and alcohol issues.
“If the court believes Brad is abusing drugs or alcohol, he may be denied the right to share in the care of his children, or physical custody,” Mr. Trout said.
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Written by Joseph E. Cordell
Joseph E. Cordell is the Principal Partner at Cordell and Cordell, P.C., which he founded in 1990 with his wife, Yvonne. Over the past 25 years, the firm has grown to include more than 100 offices in 30 states, as well as internationally in the United Kingdom. Mr. Cordell is licensed to practice in the states of Illinois and Missouri and received his LL.M. from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Joseph E. Cordell was named one of the Top 10 Best Family Law Attorneys for Client Satisfaction in Missouri.
