Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have signed off on their divorce greater than eight years after the actress initially filed in Los Angeles Superior Courtroom.

In response to California household lawyer Scott Weston, who doesn’t signify both occasion, the size of time this took is “completely” not the norm — and several other elements doubtless contributed.

For one, Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, who wed in 2014 and share six kids, didn’t see eye to eye from the outset, setting the stage for a drawn-out showdown in what Weston calls “most likely probably the most congested superior court docket within the nation.”

Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016, citing irreconcilable variations and requested for bodily custody of Maddox, 23, Pax, 21, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18 and 16-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, who had been all minors on the time.

She mentioned in an announcement that she made the choice “for the well being of the household.”

Shortly thereafter, it was revealed that Pitt was investigated by the Los Angeles County Division of Youngsters and Household Companies over allegations he bought “verbally abusive” and “bodily” along with his kids on a personal aircraft simply earlier than Jolie filed for divorce. A lawyer for Pitt beforehand mentioned he would settle for duty for some previous actions however not for issues he did not do.

John Lambros, a household regulation lawyer licensed in Florida, Michigan and Massachusetts, notes DCFS’s involvement “can severely sluggish the development of a case.”

The DCFS and the FBI, which additionally appeared into the matter, concluded their investigations with out submitting any expenses in opposition to Pitt, and Jolie declined to press expenses. However Lambros notes that Jolie and Pitt — who was solely granted visitation along with his youngsters on the time — continued to disagree on custody and different issues involving their kids. 

Animosity between the exes was obvious in court docket paperwork each side filed, as Pitt sought to seal the divorce proceedings, a transfer Jolie’s camp objected to, calling it “a thinly veiled try and protect himself, slightly than the minor kids, from public view” in a court docket submitting of her personal. 

The acrimonious backwards and forwards “does not assist issues” concerning pace, says Lambros. “It’s not transferring the case ahead.”

In 2017, Jolie and Pitt indicated they had been attempting to be amicable. They each “signed agreements to protect the privateness rights of their kids and household by protecting all court docket paperwork confidential and fascinating a personal decide to make any essential authorized choices,” in response to an announcement on the time.

However a 12 months later, issues grew ugly once more. The non-public decide the couple had employed to preside over the case, John Ouderkirk, issued a ruling that outlined extra visitation for Pitt. The decide additionally warned Jolie she might be in peril of dropping full custody “if the Minor Youngsters stay closed all the way down to their father.”

In 2019, their divorce was bifurcated — each Jolie and Pitt had been declared legally single although the remainder of the problems, like custody, weren’t but settled. Lambros believes that would have eliminated a number of the exes’ incentive to wrap issues up shortly.

“What does all people wish to do while you’re in a divorce? You wish to get divorced,” he says. “Whenever you bifurcate that case and also you grant them their divorce, properly, numerous the stress of ‘I am nonetheless married’ is gone.”

Jolie and Pitt hit one other pace bump in 2021 when Decide Ouderkirk was faraway from the case. An appeals court docket discovered that Ouderkirk didn’t correctly disclose enterprise dealings he had with Pitt’s attorneys. The court docket referred to as his actions “an moral breach.”

“Anytime there may be an appellate process in a matter, you will scale back the pace,” says Lambros. Provides Weston, “It slows down the case to a craw till that subject material is dominated upon.”

Not too long ago, they’ve additionally been battling over Miraval, the multimillion French vineyard they collectively owned. In 2022, Pitt sued Jolie for breach of contract, claiming she saved him at nighttime about promoting her share of the enterprise to a Russian oligarch. 

Taken all collectively, the problems created a “good storm,” says Lambros.

However on Dec. 30 each Pitt and Jolie signed the divorce settlement. “Angelina is exhausted, however she is relieved this one half is over,” her divorce lawyer James Simon of Hersh Mannis advised PEOPLE in an announcement. A rep for Pitt declined to verify or remark.