It’s been a decade since Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from her fellow Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt in 2016.
A bitter battle followed that stretched out for eight long years. Indeed, their divorce was not finalized until December of 2024. To this day, Jolie and Pitt are still battling each other in court over their French vineyard, Château Miraval.
Now, Pitt is hurling a major allegation at Jolie as their bitter court battle continues.
Pitt Hits Jolie With New Accusation
Pitt, 62, has just accused Jolie, 50, of dragging out their intense $164 million winery dispute as key evidence allegedly slips away.
This comes after Jolie asked to push the trial start date by nine months to late 2027. Pitt’s lawyers fired back by claiming that this delay would risk the loss of critical witness testimony. Indeed, they allege that “important evidence is disappearing.”
“One key witness, Ms. Jolie’s former business manager, Terry Bird, has unfortunately passed away,” reads a joint status report obtained by Fox News. “Plaintiffs understand that another potential key witness, Ms. Jolie’s transactional lawyer, Laurent Schummer, is likely too ill to testify. This is yet another reason that a nine-month delay of the trial date would prejudice Plaintiffs.”
Pitt’s attorneys went on to argue that the ongoing winery dispute has left him “deprived of the quiet enjoyment of his home in France.”
“The wine business associated with the French château has also suffered, as the business has been stymied by the dispute between the château’s indirect shareholders and by Stoli’s repeated efforts to interfere with, and gain control of, the château,” the court documents alleged.
Stoli Group’s subsidiary acquired Jolie’s stake in the winery.
“This dispute should be resolved as soon as possible so that all parties—including Mr. Pitt—can move on with their lives,” the documents added.
Jolie Fires Back
Jolie’s legal team has since responded. They claim that there is “no evidence anywhere” that Pitt’s ability to live in the chateau “has been impacted by this case one iota.” They cited the complexity of the Miraval case as the main reason behind the proposed delay. Jolie’s lawyers claim that the case simply isn’t ready, and key depositions haven’t even begun. According to them, the full list of parties isn’t even finalized due to pending motions and appeals.
Legal experts have since spoken out to say that Jolie’s attempt to delay the winery trial is indicative of shifting momentum in Pitt’s favor.
“Angelina Jolie is almost certainly trying to delay the trial out of concern of an adverse decision. Especially since Brad recently secured a favorable ruling against her,” said Jordan Matthews of Holtz Matthews LLP. “Her request for a trial continuance makes it look like she’s hiding information and looks weak.”
Entertainment attorney Tre Lovell chimed in to say that Jolie’s request to push the trial start back isn’t “necessarily a weakness.”
“If the trial date is pushed to November 2027, and Pitt’s ability to enjoy the winery is impacted, he may be more inclined to work a deal as opposed to waiting another year and a half,” explained Lovell, of The Lovell Firm. “So, he has a significant reason to have the trial as soon as possible.”
Pitt And Jolie’s History
Pitt filed this lawsuit against Jolie back in 2022. He claimed that when she sold her stake in Château Miraval, she breached a contract that they had made. According to him, this contract involved them each agreeing not to sell their share of the vineyard without permission from the other.
Pitt and Jolie met on the set of the 2005 movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith. At the time, Pitt was still married to the former Friends star Jennifer Aniston. They soon split and he immediately began dating Jolie.
Pitt and Jolie went on to marry in 2014 in a ceremony at their winery in rural France. Jolie then filed for divorce just over two years later in 2016. She filed for divorce days after an alleged altercation on a private jet flight. There, Jolie alleges that Pitt was abusive to her and their six children. It is believed that most if not all of the children are estranged from Pitt to this day.
This has clearly been a very messy situation for everyone involved. Only time will tell how Pitt and Jolie’s latest court battle ends up turning out for them, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll be ending anytime soon!