Brad Pitt's Children Zahara and Maddox Take Legal Steps to Drop Famous Surname

In the latest development in the long-running Jolie-Pitt family saga, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's adopted children Zahara and Maddox have published formal legal notices in a Los Angeles newspaper as part of their petitions to remove "Pitt" from their last names. And presumably to change it to Jolie.

Zahara, 21, and Maddox, 24, each ran the required public announcements for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation, fulfilling a mandatory step before their court hearings. The moves follow similar actions by other siblings, including Shiloh, and come amid years of reported estrangement from their father.

While the newspaper ads have drawn attention and headlines, they are not a dramatic public statement but a standard legal requirement under California law.

California requires that a Petition for Change of Name be published in a Newspaper of General Circulation for four weeks prior to the hearing on the petition. The procedure is more cumbersome than in some jurisdictions but also much easier than in some other states.

See Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1277 (and Gov. Code § 6064), first enacted over 100 years ago. Many people in California petition the Superior Court to change their names, for example after a divorce or to make it more or less difficult for people to associate them with other family members. Each year, 1000's of California residents file petitions to change name.

California's procedure doesn't require a Police affidavit, or fingerprinting (as it does in Florida, for example). An improper reason to change names is to avoid debt obligations, or a probation officer. The Superior Court must make a finding that the name change is not for an improper purpose.

For more information on publishing name change petitions, click on: https://www.smobserver.com/products/publish-a-petition-for-change-of-name