In a significant development in the legal conflict between Brad Pitt and his former spouse Angelina Jolie, Pitt has achieved a courtroom victory.
As detailed in court papers viewed by PEOPLE, on December 17, a judge from the Los Angeles Superior Court mandated that Jolie must reveal previously undisclosed communications concerning Château Miraval. This French winery has been the subject of their prolonged dispute.
The couple, who had been together for 12 years, parted ways with Jolie referencing ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the reason for their separation.
Although they finalized their divorce settlement in December 2024, the ownership of Château Miraval remains a contentious issue between them.
During their relationship, Jolie and Pitt jointly managed the winery, but in 2021, Jolie initiated steps to sell her portion.
Pitt alleged that Jolie violated ‘contractual rights’ by proceeding with the sale of her share without his consent, a claim reported by the BBC.
Jolie contended that Pitt insisted on a non-disclosure agreement to facilitate his purchase of her stake in the winery.
“There was no practical need for the NDA, as I had not pressed charges or spoken out about the events that led to our divorce,” Jolie wrote.
“In fact, for the previous five years, I had never publicly said a word about his actions. As the mother of our children, as well as an advocate for victims of violence around the world, I found his demand extremely painful.”
A source close to Pitt disclosed to PEOPLE that: “This is a commercial business dispute, entirely separate from the divorce. It’s unfortunate but not surprising that ‘excuses’ are now being made for failing to produce emails in discovery.”
Recently, the court has ordered Jolie to hand over certain communications that had not been revealed before.
“The Court orders Jolie to produce in full, within 45 days of this Order, unredacted versions of the communications exchanged between non-attorneys in the 22 documents identified on Jolie’s February 14, 2025 privilege log with the Document ID numbers set forth in the Appendix to this Order,” the court document stated.
According to a source, Pitt’s legal team believes ‘the emails would prove Jolie has been disingenuous since the start regarding her true intentions about selling her share of the business to Stoli’.
Paul Murphy, Jolie’s attorney, expressed to PEOPLE: “We’re disappointed by the court’s interpretation of California’s privilege law. The court’s ruling violates that law, undermines Ms. Jolie’s fundamental right to a fair trial, and represents yet another manifestation of Mr. Pitt’s years-long effort to harass and control her. We will appeal.”
Requests for comments have been made to the representatives of both Pitt and Jolie.