Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt’s property battle takes new twist

Brad Pitt has scored another legal win in his ongoing legal battle with ex-wife Angelina Jolie over Château Miraval.

A US judge has granted a motion from Pitt’s legal team ordering international wine executives to hand over documents and face questioning regarding Jolie’s secret 2021 sale of her shares in the property, Page Six reports.

The ruling by the Superior Court of California compelling depositions from members of the Stoli Group follows allegations that an executive, Alexey Oliynik, had refused to turn over relevant documents or appear for a deposition, claiming he could not be forced to do so as a resident of Switzerland.

Pitt’s lawyers successfully argued that investors from the global distributor had first-hand knowledge of Jolie’s 2021 sale of the French winery to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli Group.

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The former couple had co-owned the sprawling estate since purchasing it in 2008.

The decision has triggered a war of words between opposing camps close to the Hollywood stars, whose property fallout has outlasted their long-running divorce, which was finalised in December 2024.

A source close to the case told Page Six the decision would have major ramifications for the corporate interests involved.

“Stoli parties will now have to face the music and be transparent about the transaction,” the source said.

However, an insider from the opposing camp claimed Jolie’s motivations for the transaction were purely financial stability for the couple’s children — Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 19, and 17-year-old twins, Knox and Vivienne — whom Pitt is reportedly estranged from.

“Angie did not sell to Stoli for any reason other than she expected Stoli to be an excellent worldwide distribution partner who could help grow the business for the benefit of their children, who stood to inherit Brad’s portion,” the insider claimed.

“The truth is that Pitt’s ego and obsession for control got in the way. Brad refused to work with Stoli simply because Angie chose them, not him.”

Jolie’s lawyer, Paul Murphy, sought to downplay the setback ahead of a full trial scheduled for next year.

“The ruling has no impact on the merits of the case, and certainly has no impact on Ms. Jolie’s case,” Mr Murphy insisted.

“At this point, Ms. Jolie is just looking forward to defeating the case at trial next year so that their family can finally focus their energies on healing and moving on.”

The legal dispute over the $725 million ($US500 million) estate began in 2022 when the Fight Club actor filed a lawsuit claiming Jolie had sold off her shares for half the vineyard despite a prior agreement that neither would sell without mutual approval.

Jolie denied that agreement existed, claiming in a countersuit that her ex-husband was waging a vindictive war against her.

The Latest California ruling follows another significant win for Pitt in a Michigan court, where a judge ruled that a former Stoli General Counsel, Todd Culyba, had improperly blocked testimony during a key deposition.

The court found Mr Culyba was improperly instructed not to answer 33 questions during a December deposition concerning the transaction, ordering him to sit for a new deposition to answer the previously blocked questions.

A source downplayed that decision, claiming the ruling was not a big deal and would not impact the case whatsoever.

Jolie scored her own legal win recently when a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied an effort by Pitt to force the actress to turn over private emails tied to the winery dispute, ruling he had not met the burden to overcome lawyer-client privilege claims.

The motion was denied without prejudice, allowing Pitt to raise the issue again later in the proceedings.

“It’s notable how Jolie has withheld so many documents as privileged,” a source said at the time.

“These emails are just some of the evidence in the case.”

The Hollywood exes have been locked in court battles since Jolie filed for divorce in 2016.

Throughout the proceedings, the star has accused her ex-husband of trying to silence her and using the lawsuit to cover up personal wrongdoings during their marriage.

Parts of this story first appeared in Page Six and was republished with permission.

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