What Angelina Jolie's Divorce Filing Says 

What Angelina Jolie\'s Divorce Filing From Brad Pitt Means: Behind Her Request for Physical Custody of Their Children

Angelina Jolie Files for Divorce From Brad Pitt

Inside Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie\'s Divorce: A Closer Look at the Disintegration of a Celebrity Super Couple

Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt on Monday, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for physical custody of their six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Viviennne.

E! News spoke with attorney Troy Slaten who said the fact that Angelina is asking for sole physical custody could "mean [Angelina] thinks that [Brad] is doing something that is endangering her children."

He continued, explaining, "In order for the court to grant a request like that—giving one parent sole physical custody—the judge has to have clear and convincing evidence. It\'s a standard that\'s in between preponderance of the evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt that that is what\'s in the best interest of the children."

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie: Romance Recap

Courtesy of Lucian Capellaro/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures International

Though the court documents do not state why she\'s asking for physical custody, Angelina\'s manager, Geyer Kosinski, told E! News, "Angelina will always do what\'s in the best interest of taking care of her family. She appreciates everyone\'s understanding of their need for privacy at this time."

As for the physical custody battle, Slaten explains Brad would "have a court order that determines what his visitation will be," unless the parties can agree on visitation themselves.

"[Since] this is a lawsuit, either the judge can decide or the parties can settle," Slaten added. "The overriding concern is what\'s best for the children. If it\'s best not to pull away from this father figure, that\'s what the court will determine. Courts are not immune to the idea of parental alienation."

Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt\'s Kids Through the Years

When it comes to the couple\'s finances, Slaten says it will be treated the same as any marriage.

"They\'ve only been married two years, which would mean the community estate is very small," he said. "[Since] California is a community property state, anything earned or acquired during the marriage is split 50/50. Everything you earn and everything you owe is split down the middle."

For this reason, Slaten says the financial settlement shouldn\'t be as difficult to unwind. Rather, this biggest concern is their children.

"It looks like this a very serious conflict about what\'s in the best interest of the children," he explained.

TAGS/ Angelina Jolie , Brad Pitt , Divorces , Top Stories

Your information may be shared with other NBCUniversal businesses and used to better tailor our services and advertising to you. For more details about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy. If you are located outside of the U.S., your information may be transferred to, processed and used in the U.S.

E! Online - Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows!

Call 1-888-E-Online | Text "tip" + your tip to 44264 or Click Here

*Message & Data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel.

I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Privacy Policy - UPDATED  |  Terms of Service  |  Independent Programming Report  |  ©2016 E! Entertainment Television, LLC. A Division of NBCUniversal.  All rights reserved.

This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our US edition?

This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our Canadian edition?

This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our UK edition?

This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our Australian edition?

Dieser Inhalt ist für internationale Besucher verfügbar. Möchtest du ihn in der deutschen Version anschauen?

This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our German edition?

Une version adaptée de ce contenu est disponible pour notre public international. Souhaitez-vous voir ça dans notre édition française ?

This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our French edition?

This content is available customized for our international audience. Switch to US edition?

This content is available customized for our international audience. Switch to Canadian edition?

This content is available customized for our international audience. Switch to UK edition?

This content is available customized for our international audience. Switch to Australian edition?

Nós especializamos nosso site para sua região! Você gostaria de ir para E! Online Brasil?

We have specialized our website for your region. Would you like to switch to our Brazilian edition?

¡Hemos especializado nuestro sitio para tu región! ¿Quieres ir a E! Online Latino?

We have specialized our website for your region. Would you like to switch to our Latino edition?