Brad Pitt's request to keep Angelina Jolie divorce battle secret rejected

Brad Pitt's request to seal court documents in his high-profile custody and divorce battle with Angelina Jolie has been rejected by a judge.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard Burdge Jr dismissed the actor's motion at an emergency hearing on Wednesday.

Pitt and Jolie, who split in September after more than 10 years together, did not attend.

While the judge ruled against sealing the entire case, he said requests to seal specific documents would be considered, especially given the former couple's six children are all minors.

Pitt's filing said he wanted the documents sealed to protect the children's privacy.

"I am extremely concerned that if court records regarding custody are not sealed, information contained therein will cause irreparable damage to our children's privacy rights," Pitt wrote in a sworn declaration.

Pitt's attorney Gary Fishbein declined to comment after the hearing.

Jolie's attorneys wrote in court filings that the request was a "thinly veiled attempt to shield himself, rather than the minor children, from public view".

The motion came two days after the release of a custody agreement that Pitt and Jolie reached in October.

It calls for the actor to have visits with his children under the guidance of a therapist.

Jolie filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, and currently has primary custody of their children.

Their split came after an incident on a private plane in which Pitt was reported to have lost his temper in front of one or more of the children.

At the time, Jolie said she had made the decision "for the health of the family", and she is seeking full physical custody of their children.

The couple share adopted sons Maddox and Pax, adopted daughter Zahara and three biological children, Shiloh Nouvel and twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline, aged between eight and 15.

Pitt was cleared over the plane incident last month by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

He has filed for joint custody of the children.