Highlights
- Case centres on the sale of Angelina Jolie’s stake in Château Miraval
- Brad Pitt claims there was an agreement requiring mutual consent
- Jolie disputes that claim and defends her right to sell
- Latest ruling limits access to her private emails, shaping the case ahead
A vineyard at the centre of a long-running fight
The legal dispute between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt is anchored in Château Miraval, the French estate they developed together during their marriage. Once a shared venture, it has become the focal point of an increasingly complex court battle.
The conflict began after Jolie sold her stake in the winery in 2021. Pitt contends that the sale breached an agreement between them that required mutual consent before either party could transfer their share. Jolie has maintained that no such binding restriction applied, and that she was entitled to proceed.
Dispute over agreements and ownership
Pitt’s lawsuit, filed in 2022, frames Miraval as a joint enterprise governed by clear understandings. He argues that Jolie’s decision to sell introduced a third party into the business without approval, disrupting what had been a balanced partnership.
Jolie’s legal team has rejected that interpretation, challenging both the existence and enforceability of any agreement cited by Pitt. Her position is that the transaction was lawful and that attempts to block or scrutinise it go beyond the original terms of their business relationship.
The role of private communications
A key flashpoint in the case has been Pitt’s effort to obtain emails linked to the 2021 sale, including exchanges involving Jolie’s advisers. His lawyers have argued that some of these communications fall outside legal privilege and could clarify how the deal was handled.
Jolie has countered that the emails form part of her legal strategy and are therefore protected. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge recently agreed, ruling that Pitt cannot compel her to disclose the material. The decision reverses an earlier 2025 order and narrows the scope of evidence available to him, at least for now.
A dispute that outlasts the marriage
Jolie and Pitt first met on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2005 and married in 2014 at Château Miraval. Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, with the separation finalised in December 2024.
Despite that, the winery remains a point of contention. The case continues through the courts, with questions over ownership, consent and control still unresolved, and each ruling shaping how the dispute will unfold next.
