Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have now doubled down on their rancorous legal battle to win control over their formerly shared French winery Chateau Miraval.
Pitt has asked in new court filings that a major businessman involved in the controversial sale back up important texts and messages he feels are important to the case.
According to the documents, filed to California Superior Court on June 30, Pitt is attempting to force testimony and communications of Alexey Oliynik, an executive of the Stoli Group, which bought Jolie half of the winery in 2021.
The lawyers of Pitt said Oliynik knows how and why Jolie proceeded with the sale- contrary to the wishes of Pitt.
It is about an earlier agreement of the former spouses: they did not sell a part of the $164 million real estate without the consent of the other spouse.
Pitt claims that Jolie breated that agreement and Jolie claims that she did nothing wrong, particularly after relations between them grew sour.
Pitt Accuses Jolie Of Malice
Pitt has also filed the latest brief where he has pleaded that Oliynik has not cooperated and she is not willing to produce any documents as well as give a deposition. Oliynik, currently living in Switzerland, states he is not under legal compulsion to comply on account of his international status.
Pitt, 61, is not giving up. His defence team has said that the information sought would directly sponsor major accusations in the case, especially where Pitt argued that Jolie had actually sold her portion to Stoli with the consciousness that it would trigger a quarrel.
The filing reads, “These requests are within easy reach of the standard of discoverability based on Pitt alleging that Jolie has acted with malice.”
The legal move adopted by the actor is based on the evidence that the actions of Jolie were vindictive, but not business-related, which may help him advance the cases of damages or cancellation of the sale.
War of Causes and Countersuits
The legal dispute between the ex-husband and wife started early in the year 2022, when Pitt filed his lawsuit claiming that Jolies sale was against the initial agreement.
In a countersuit, Jolie, 50, alleged Pitt was waging a vindictive war on her since they divorced in 2016.
The divorce, which was concluded in December 2024, was a very publicized separation following 12 years of coexistence and a two-year marriage. The husband and the wife have got six children who are between 16 years and 23 years old.
One of the most disturbing aspects of Jolie court filing has been a traumatic incident in 2016 involving a private jet where Jolie claims Pitt verbally and physically abused both her and their children.
Even though charges were never filed and Jolie refused to press any legal charges at the moment, the incident still hangs over their current arguments.
Jolie has further alleged that Pitt denied her his half of the winery money unless she would sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA)which Jolie declined on the basis that it was an act to prevent her speaking out on abuse.
Court Orders and NDAs
In a legal development early this year, a judge ordered Jolie to provide a hearing on eight years of her own NDAs in a bid to establish whether she herself has engaged in the use of such agreements in business transactions, which could undermine her arguments on signing one with Pitt.
The decision brought to the fore the depth and ugliness of the conflict, with each side charging the other of manoeuvring legal filigree.
Although the representatives of Jolie claim that she simply needed to get rid of her part to get over it and to save her tranquility, the representatives of Pitt present the purchase as a manipulative act aimed at hurting her.
The actress does not want the fighting to continue, a source close to Jolie told PEOPLE earlier this year:
Unfortunately, this family will not experience the peace and healing it wants and needs so badly until he withdraws his lawsuit.
Conversely, one of Pitt sources stated that, Jolie activities have inflicted a lot of collateral damage not only to Pitt but also to his close people.
Hollywood Power Couple to Court Rivalries
The romance between Pitt and Jolie used to enchant the world. They are one of the most beloved couples in Hollywood after meeting on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2004 and since then, they have six children, represent humanitarian causes, and build a wine empire in the South of France.
However, ever since the couple broke up, the previous couple has been entangled in what has been one of the most publicized and emotionally heated law suits in celebrity ever.
Chateau Miraval, the venue with award-winning ros and vast vineyards, which has once been the place of their love, has become the whipping ground of the last chapter of their divorce.
To date, there is no hearing date on the motion by Pitt to compel Oliynik to testify. In the meantime, they are engaging in legal wrangling, which leaves the future of the estate (and even the family capacity to reconcile) hanging in the balance.
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