The bitter legal battle between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie over Chateau Miraval will return to court today after a major new twist in the ongoing dispute.
Pitt, 60, and Jolie, 49, have been embroiled in a dispute over their co-ownership of the idyllic French winery, which they bought in 2008, with the actor suing his ex-wife for selling her half without his consent for $62 million in October 2021.
They later entered into a heated dispute over non-disclosure agreements, which have become a key battleground in their fight, with Jolie ordered to hand over all NDAs she signed with a third party between 2014 and 2022 after claiming she backed out of her deal because Pitt asked her to sign one.
Jolie sold her stake in Chateau Miraval to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler in 2021, which Pitt said went against their agreement to offer the other first refusal.
The “War for Pink” legal battle is entering another round as the final hearing in the case is scheduled in a Los Angeles court at 9 a.m. today, though Pitt and Jolie are not expected to appear.
This comes just days after Jolie’s former company, Nouvel LLC (a subsidiary of Shefler’s Tenute del Mondo BV), filed a motion to compel Campari America LLC to file a distribution agreement with Chateau Miraval.
Pitt, 60, and Jolie (pictured in June), 49, have been embroiled in a dispute over their co-ownership of the French winery, with the actor suing his ex for selling him half of it without his consent in October 2021.
They later entered into a heated dispute over non-disclosure agreements, which have become a key battleground in their fight, with Jolie ordered to hand over all NDAs she signed with a third party between 2014 and 2022 after she claimed she backed out of her deal because Pitt (pictured in February) asked her to sign one.
Jolie sold her stake in Chateau Miraval (pictured) to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler in 2021, which Pitt says went against their agreement to offer the other the right of first refusal.
In the motion filed July 29, Nouvel LLC asks to “produce the most informed person(s) and relevant documents regarding a distribution agreement executed in or about September 2023” between Campari America LLC, a party not involved in Pitt and Jolie’s legal battle, and Chateau Miraval.
“After being unfairly excluded from Chateau Miraval by Pitt and his allies, Nouvel seeks information about the provisions of the contract and the negotiations that led to its execution,” reads a press release from Shefler’s company about the motion.
‘Nouvel is also seeking information that would shed light on how, amid the legal dispute between Pitt and Nouvel, Campari was allowed to obtain the right to be the exclusive distributor of one of the world’s most successful rosés.
‘Nouvel is also seeking information on any possible involvement of Campari in Pitt’s plan to loot the assets and value of Chateau Miraval.’
Pitt and Jolie, who met in 2004 while filming Mr. And Mrs. Smith before marrying in 2014, have six sons: sons Maddox, 22, Pax, 20 (who was involved in a horrific electric bike accident in July) and Knox, 16, and daughters Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and Vivienne, 16. They filed for divorce in September 2016.
The estranged couple, who met in 2004, have been embroiled in a dispute over their co-ownership of the winery since 2021 and have entered into a dispute over confidentiality agreements.
Pitt poured millions into the estate (pictured), rode the rosé wave and expanded the business in an effort that saw sales soar 300 percent.
The exes have six children: sons Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, and Knox, 15, and daughters Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 17, and Vivienne, 15 (pictured in Tokyo in November 2011).
His daughter Shiloh is embroiled in her own legal battle as she attempts to strip Pitt of his surname, Jolie-Pitt.
A court hearing on the case was scheduled for Monday but was rescheduled for Aug. 19 after “the court was unable to complete the background check,” Peter Levine, who is serving as Jolie-Pitt’s legal representative in the matter, told PEOPLE.
In the case of her parents, Pitt accused Jolie of breaching their purchase agreement not to sell to a third party without offering the other the right of first refusal when she sold her 50 percent stake in Chateau Miraval to Shefler in 2021.
The actor requested that the sale be annulled and demanded monetary damages and legal fees, but the request was made on October 5, 2021.
Pitt says in his complaint that the transaction with Russian oligarch Shefler damages Chateau Miraval’s brand following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
But Jolie’s former company filed a $250 million lawsuit against Pitt, claiming that Pitt was trying to gain control of the company as revenge against Jolie for their split.
When the couple purchased the winery and 1,200-acre estate, Pitt acquired a 60 percent stake, while Jolie acquired 40 percent.
Pitt invested millions in the estate, rode the rosé wave and expanded the business in an effort that saw sales grow 300 percent.
Soon the property they purchased for an estimated $60 million was worth about $164 million.
By the time of her wedding, Jolie had “stopped investing,” according to previously filed court documents, something she has denied.
Still, Pitt transferred 10 percent of his share to her via a wedding gift in December 2013 “for the sum of £1 (never paid)”, so that by the time of their marriage in August 2014, they were equal 50/50 partners.
Her daughter Shiloh (right, pictured with Jolie and her sister Zahara) is embroiled in her own legal battle as she seeks to remove the name Pitt from her Jolie-Pitt surname.
The estranged couple’s eight-year divorce, which has seen them at war over custody of their children, has not been finalised after filing in 2016 (pictured: Jolie and Pitt in 2015)
Jolie claims she backed out of the deal because Pitt asked her to sign a nondisclosure agreement as part of their business deal, which would have allegedly prevented her from speaking out about the abuse allegations, including the September 2016 incident aboard the private jet.
Her team described this as an “excessive” attempt by her ex-partner to “control” her after their separation.
A source close to Pitt later told People: “Brad requested a mutual NDA and non-disparagement clause strictly related to Miraval due to concerns about sensitive financial information and brand protection, which is standard in these types of transactions.”
Her legal team claimed Jolie used the NDAs as a “weapon” and asked Pitt to sign a broader NDA just six months later as part of divorce settlement negotiations.
In a ruling made public in May, Judge Lia Martin ordered the actress to produce all confidentiality agreements she proposed or that were proposed to her by others, regardless of whether they were finalized or agreed to.
In July, Jolie’s lawyer Paul Murphy said: “When Angelina again calls on Mr. Pitt to end the feud and finally put her family on a clear path to healing, unless Mr. Pitt withdraws his lawsuit, Angelina will have no choice but to obtain the evidence necessary to prove his allegations wrong.”
Recent documents filed on Pitt’s behalf in objection to Jolie’s latest request list the pieces of evidence she would obtain.
These include “any therapy he voluntarily agreed to participate in from September 14, 2016, through December 31, 2018, his alcohol use from 2008 through 2021, his random post-flight drug and alcohol testing, communications with various government agencies regarding the flight, and confidential files from the parties’ divorce case.”
“These requests are not designed to uncover relevant evidence but rather to embarrass Pitt and/or prejudice the trier of fact, which is not permitted under California discovery statutes,” the documents read.
The estranged couple’s eight-year divorce, which has seen them at war over custody of their children, has not been finalised after filing for divorce in 2016.
