Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will face off in court next year as their long-running legal battle or so-called ‘Pink War’ goes to trial, DailyMail.com can reveal.
The feuding exes will now go head to head after a judge recently dismissed the Oscar-winning actress’ motion to dismiss her ex-husband’s lawsuit over her French vineyard.
The Chateau Miraval estate, which produces an award-winning sparkling rosé, is at the center of a long-running court battle between the couple.
Jolie, 49, filed motions to dismiss allegations that Pitt, 60, made against her in connection with a verbal agreement regarding 50-50 ownership of the vineyard.
Ex-boyfriends Brad Pitt (pictured in September) and Angelia Jolie (seen Tuesday) will now face off in court next year as their long-running legal battle over their Miraval winery goes to trial.
Since their split in 2016, the two stars have been fighting in court over their French winery, Chateau Miraval (pictured), which they once owned together.
She argues that the agreement was voided after Pitt asked her to sign a confidentiality agreement about their marriage, and both sides were apparently determined to throw everything at the case.
“It’s already been ugly, but it’s going to get even uglier as Angie is determined to retaliate against Brad and will try to settle more old personal scores,” a source close to the case told DailyMail.com.
And it will be more expensive, too, as their legal disputes have already cost both sides millions.
The latest twist in the acrimonious lawsuit has been Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lia Martin dismissing the motions.
Court documents filed last week suggest that the judge found basis in Pitt’s claims that their original oral agreement was binding, and that Jolie may have violated them when she sold her shares to Russian businessman Yuri Shefler and his Stoli Group in 2021.
Pitt’s lawyers say Jolie violated the couple’s agreement not to sell their respective stakes in Miraval without the permission of both parties.
With the three filings dismissed, the former power couple, who married at the Provence estate in southern France in 2014 and separated in 2016, will face each other in court at next year’s trial.
A source close to the actor told DailyMail.com: “This is a simple commercial dispute, but unfortunately, the other side has constantly introduced personal elements that have exposed weaknesses in their case and complicated and lengthened the proceedings.”
In the ongoing legal battle, Brad Pitt demanded his ex-wife hand over documents from previous agreements she had entered into with third parties after she claimed he had backed out of the deal due to its ‘cruel’ NDA clause. He is pictured at the castle with his business partner Marc Perrin.
Pitt was shocked when his ex-wife sold half of their stunning Chateau Miraval estate without his consent to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler in 2021.
The Maleficent star will have 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision filed in Los Angeles Superior Court last week.
Pitt filed the $67 million lawsuit against Jolie in 2022, less than a year after the shares were sold, triggering a lengthy court battle between the exes.
But Judge Martin’s decision to dismiss Jolie’s latest three allegations against Pitt has put him firmly back in the driver’s seat ahead of a trial next year.
This latest court ruling represents another pretrial victory for Pitt, adding to his momentum in the ongoing legal battle.
The southern French chateau, where the couple married in 2014, became Pitt’s “passion” and one of the most respected rosé wine producers in the world.
Jolie faces possible lawsuits for damages if she does not undo the agreement she made with Yuri Shefler regarding the sale of her stake in Miraval.
With their frustration over Pitt being awarded joint custody of their children in 2021, the dispute appears to have become very personal for the couple, going beyond the original business issue.
Jolie has also been accused of trying to drive a wedge between her ex-husband and their six children after their separation.
Pitt’s team claims she believes her dealings with Shefler were “justified” because of the confidentiality agreement her ex-husband asked her to sign.
He was dealt another blow earlier this year after the court ruled that he must produce all confidentiality agreements he signed with a third party over an eight-year period from 2014, the year they married, until 2022.
NDAs have become a key battleground in the Chateau Miraval dispute after Jolie claimed she backed out of her deal because Pitt asked her to sign one as part of their business deal.
She claims it was an “unconscionable” attempt by her ex-partner to “control” her after their separation in April 2019, and her lawyers asked the Los Angeles Superior Court to cancel the sale due to their agreement not to sell to a third party.
But Pitts’ lawyers have argued that Jolie’s objection to the NDA was really just a cover story she made up to “rationalize” her betrayal of Pitt by deciding to sell her stake behind his back.
The Fight Club star’s lawyers also claim that Jolie herself “weaponized” the NDAs and asked Pitt to sign a broader NDA just six months later as part of their divorce settlement talks.
Pitt has scored several legal victories in the battle over the winery, including a key ruling in Luxembourg that returned him control of the property pending further hearings.
An aerial view of Chateau Miraval in Le Val, southeastern France, the winery and house that Brangelina bought for $27 million.
Pitt’s legal team asked him in previous filings to clarify confidentiality agreements he entered into with third parties, including staff.
At the time Paul Murphy, one of Jolie’s lawyers, told DailyMail.com that the judge’s order also opens the window for the actress to demand documents related to Pitt’s alleged abuse.
“We are more than happy to hand them over and are pleased that the Court has recognized that the only potential relevance is the unscrupulous conduct of Mr Pitt, a key issue now confirmed in this case,” he said.
He continued: ‘The judge’s ruling completely opens the door to the discovery of all issues related to Pitt’s abuse. We welcome that transparency in discovery responses from all parties, including Mr. Pitt’s.
A source close to Brad, however, said Jolie’s decision to use the NDA as a strategy “has backfired spectacularly.”
‘His defense has been exposed like a house of cards, and he will now have to provide details of all the NDAs he demanded from third parties.
‘There is no doubt that this is a big setback for her. “There is a long way to go, but in the context of the case so far, this is a hugely important and far-reaching ruling that will be problematic for his defence,” the source added.
Pitt has scored several legal victories in the battle over the winery, including a key ruling in Luxembourg that returned him control of the award-winning vineyard pending further hearings.
In March, the Los Angeles Superior Court rejected allegations that her lawsuit was “frivolous, malicious and part of a problematic pattern.”