Angelina Jolie accuses Brad Pitt of shirking child support

LOS ANGELES — The long-running divorce case of one-time Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt has hit a new level of drama.

Jolie, the star of "Maleficent," alleged in a court filing Tuesday that her estranged husband hasn't paid any "meaningful" child support for a year and a half during their ongoing, and at times contentious, divorce — and said she is planning to seek a court order to force his hand.

"[Pitt] has a duty to pay child support. As of present, [Pitt] has paid no meaningful child support since separation," wrote Jolie's attorney, Samantha Bley DeJean, in a two-page brief filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by NBC News.

"Given the informal arrangements around the payment of the children's expenses have not been regularly sustained by [Pitt] for over a year and a half, [Jolie] intends to file an RFO for the establishment of a retroactive child support order." (An RFO is a request for a court order.) The court filing did not define what is "meaningful" support.

Pitt’s spokesman did not immediately comment. A source close to the actor insisted, "Brad has fulfilled his commitments."

Under California law, each parent is responsible for providing for the children based upon the agreement reached between the couple. It is not clear what, if any, agreement Pitt and Jolie have reached.

Jolie's lawyers are asking to appear before a judge to schedule a status conference in the case to address the financial issue amid the couple's separation.

Jolie, 43, filed for divorce from Pitt, 54, in September 2016, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. The Oscar-winning actress and activist for refugees around the world has six children with her actor husband. They range in age from 9 to 16.

The breakup between the couple — once known by fans as "Brangelina" — has been very public, and at times, ugly. Around the time Jolie filed for divorce, Pitt was accused of being rough with one of his children on a private plane that was en route from Europe to Los Angeles.

The incident was reported to authorities but the FBI and Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services both cleared Pitt of any wrongdoing after reviews of evidence and interviews with those involved.

In 2017, lawyers sought to seal records pertaining to the couple's six minor children in the ongoing divorce and child custody case.

Pitt's lawyers alleged in court documents Jolie and her attorneys have compromised the children's privacy through court filings in a bid to undercut Pitt in the couple's custody battle.