In a significant legal development, Brad Pitt has secured a victory against his ex-wife Angelina Jolie in their protracted battle over the former couple's French winery, Château Miraval.
Court Orders Disclosure of Withheld Communications
A judge in Los Angeles has ruled that Angelina Jolie must hand over a series of previously withheld private messages. The Maleficent star has been given 45 days to comply with the order and provide un-redacted versions of these communications, which were exchanged between non-lawyers.
The messages are central to the dispute over Jolie's 2021 sale of her stake in the vineyard to a company linked to the Stoli Group. Pitt, 62, has consistently argued that the pair had a mutual agreement that neither would sell their share without the other's consent, a claim Jolie, 50, has always denied.
The Multi-Million Pound Stakes of the Miraval Feud
The legal war over the Provençal estate, where the couple married in 2014, has intensified in recent years. Pitt is seeking substantial damages, reportedly around £28 million ($35 million), alleging that Jolie's sale harmed the winery's value and operations.
His legal team believes the newly ordered messages could challenge Jolie's account of her intentions when she sold her share. Conversely, Jolie's lawyers have contended that Pitt's large damages claim is what created the burden of producing extensive documents in the first place.
A Long-Running Saga of Divorce and Dispute
This ruling is the latest chapter in a series of bitter disputes that have unfolded since Jolie filed for divorce in 2016. Their split, following a romance that began on the set of 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' in 2005, has involved lengthy battles over the custody of their six children and the division of their considerable shared assets.
When the divorce was finalised, Jolie's lawyer stated she was "exhausted" but relieved that part of the process was over, noting it was "just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago." The fight over Château Miraval remains a prominent and unresolved element of that process.
