Jolie, Pitt sue British newspaper for libel

Brad Pitt (L) and Angelina Jolie (C) attend the UNICEF Ball honoring producer Jerry Weintraub in Beverly Hills, California December 10, 2009.

LONDON (Reuters) - Hollywood couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are suing Britain's News of the World tabloid over allegations it published about their relationship, their London lawyers said on Monday.

In a story published on January 24, the weekly newspaper reported that the couple planned imminently to separate and had agreed on how they would divide their assets and custody of their children.

Pitt, 46, and Jolie, 34, have six children and joint assets estimated by the News of the World at 205 million pounds ($319.4 million).

Schillings law firm described the allegations as "false" and has taken its case to the High Court in London.

Keith Schilling of Schillings said the News of the World failed to meet the couple's "reasonable demands" for a retraction of the story and apology "for these false and intrusive allegations which have now been widely republished by mainstream news outlets.

"We have advised them to bring proceedings which they have now done," he added in a statement.

Sorrell Trope of Trope and Trope, identified by some media reports as the Los Angeles divorce lawyer representing the couple, has confirmed to Schillings that the company had no involvement with Pitt and Jolie.

The movie stars, who are not married, appeared together in public at Sunday's Super Bowl professional football championship in the United States, smiling, laughing and being photographed.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Michael Roddy)