Angelina Jolie vs. Brad Pitt Court Case: Claims and Discovery Fights

The Angelina Jolie vs. Brad Pitt court case is a civil lawsuit Pitt filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in February 2022 after Jolie sold her 50 percent stake in the couple’s French winery, Château Miraval, to the wine division of the Stoli Group. Pitt claims the sale violated an understanding between them and seeks $35 million in damages; Jolie has countersued, denying any binding agreement and tying the dispute to abuse allegations and a nondisclosure agreement she refused to sign. Trial is expected in August 2027.¹

What the Lawsuit Is About

Pitt and Jolie bought Château Miraval in Correns, France, in 2008, holding their interests through separate California LLCs — Pitt through Mondo Bongo and Jolie through Nouvel. Both companies owned shares in Quimicum, a Luxembourg entity that held the estate itself. In December 2013, Mondo Bongo transferred 10 percent of its shares to Nouvel for one euro, equalizing ownership at 50-50. That same year Pitt partnered with Marc Perrin of the Perrin winemaking family in a 50-50 joint venture called Miraval Provence, which grew the wine into a multimillion-dollar brand.²

After the couple separated in September 2016, Jolie sought to exit the business. In July 2021 she petitioned a California court for permission to sell her stake, and she was cleared to proceed that September.³ In October 2021, Tenute del Mondo, the wine arm of the Stoli Group, bought Nouvel for an undisclosed price.⁴ Pitt sued four months later, naming Jolie, Nouvel, Stoli owner Yuri Shefler, Stoli executive Alexey Oliynik, SPI Group, and Tenute del Mondo as defendants under case number 22STCV06081.²

What Pitt Is Claiming

Pitt’s central argument is that he and Jolie had an implied-in-fact contract that neither would sell their share of the winery without the other’s consent.⁵ He also argues that Quimicum’s corporate governance documents gave him a right of first refusal, since they prohibit transferring shares to non-shareholders without 75 percent shareholder approval.²

Beyond the contract theory, Pitt says the buyer itself damaged the business. His legal team has argued that the Stoli Group’s reported ties to Russia and its association with consumer boycotts related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and anti-LGBTQ legislation jeopardize the brand he built with the Perrins.⁶ His complaint calls Stoli’s involvement an “existential threat” and describes the transaction as a “hostile takeover.”² He seeks $35 million in damages.⁷

What Jolie Is Claiming Back

Jolie denies that any binding agreement barred the sale. Her filing points to Pitt’s own business manager, Warren Grant, who stated that Pitt had previously said such an agreement was “not necessary for two reasonable people.”⁵

In an October 2022 cross-complaint, Jolie put abuse allegations at the center of her defense. She says she first offered to sell her stake to Pitt directly, but that he conditioned the purchase on her signing a nondisclosure agreement that would have barred her from speaking publicly about alleged physical and emotional abuse of her and their children. When she refused to sign, according to her account, the deal collapsed.⁸ Her attorney Paul Murphy has said Pitt’s refusal to buy her interest and his subsequent lawsuit put directly at issue “why that NDA was so important to him and what he hoped it would bury.”⁹

The cross-complaint alleged a “history of physical abuse” predating a September 2016 flight from France to California, and claimed that during that flight Pitt “choked one of the children and struck another in the face.”⁸⁹¹⁰

Jolie’s side has also pushed back on Pitt’s Stoli theory, calling the characterization of the company as dangerous “inaccurate and xenophobic” and noting that Shefler is a Russian-born exile and critic of Vladimir Putin. Her representatives say she chose Stoli as a global distribution partner to grow the business for the benefit of the children.¹¹

Nouvel, now owned by Stoli, has separately countersued, alleging that Pitt and Marc Perrin acted “illegally by wrongly freezing her out of the business and intentionally devaluing her investment.” The countersuit also challenges a ten-year exclusive distribution agreement Miraval signed with the Campari Group in September 2023, which Nouvel alleges was arranged during the ownership dispute to reduce the value of its stake.¹²

Key Rulings and Discovery Fights

Much of the case since 2023 has run through discovery, with rulings tilting in both directions.

Privileged Communications

In December 2025, a judge ordered Jolie to hand over certain unredacted non-attorney communications. Pitt then sought additional private emails, but in May 2026, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Cindy Pánuco denied that request, ruling Pitt “not met his burden” to overcome Jolie’s attorney-client privilege claims. The judge left the door open to revisit the issue if new evidence surfaced, and also denied Jolie’s request for roughly $33,700 in sanctions, finding Pitt’s position “was not without substantial justification.”¹³

Stoli Depositions

Pitt has pressed hard for testimony from Stoli figures. In May 2026, a Michigan judge ruled that Stoli’s lawyers had improperly instructed former general counsel Todd Culyba not to answer 33 questions during a December deposition about the business aspects of Jolie’s sale. The judge found attorney-client privilege did not shield those business details and ordered Culyba to sit again.¹⁴ In June 2026, the Superior Court of California granted a motion compelling depositions from other Stoli members, including Alexey Oliynik, to be taken in London by September 30, 2026.⁶

Shefler Back in the Case

On June 24, 2026, California’s Second District Court of Appeal reversed a lower court ruling that had dismissed Stoli owner Yuri Shefler for lack of jurisdiction. Shefler, a Swiss resident, had argued he played no role in the transaction. The appellate court disagreed, finding he “purposefully availed himself of the benefits” of doing business with Jolie and had a direct role in structuring the Nouvel deal. The court wrote that “it defies credulity that Shefler, a sophisticated businessman, would risk almost $40 million on a transaction about which he knew nothing and with which he had no involvement.” A hearing on a motion to compel his deposition was set for July 8, 2026.⁶¹

The Stoli Bankruptcy Subpoena

Stoli Group USA and its Kentucky Owl unit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2024 in the Northern District of Texas, citing financial difficulties, a cyberattack, and geopolitical pressures including Russia seizing a key distillery asset.¹⁵ In December 2025, Pitt’s team subpoenaed a bank involved in the bankruptcy for emails with Stoli and information about Vladimir Putin, Russia, and the company’s Russian assets. Stoli accused Pitt of obtaining the documents before notifying them, effectively preventing an objection, and asked the court to have them destroyed. A source close to Pitt called the argument “silly” and blamed a communication gap between his previous and new legal counsel.¹⁶

The Parallel Luxembourg Case

A separate track runs in Luxembourg, where Quimicum is organized. In 2021, Mondo Bongo sued Nouvel there to nullify the 2013 share transfer that gave Jolie an equal stake, arguing the shares had moved for a nominal amount well below their true value. That case remains pending.³ A related Luxembourg application to appoint an escrow agent for the disputed shares was denied in February 2022.¹⁷ An addendum to Jolie’s purchase agreement with Stoli requires her to bear certain legal costs Stoli parties incur in the European litigation.²

Where the Case Stands

As of mid-2026, the case is proceeding in Los Angeles Superior Court before Judge Cindy Pánuco, with trial expected in August 2027. The appellate ruling reinstating Shefler, the London depositions scheduled by September 30, 2026, and the unresolved bankruptcy subpoena dispute all point to continued fighting over evidence in the run-up to trial. Jolie’s attorney has said she looks forward to “defeating the case at trial next year” so the family can move on.¹

1
USA Today. Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie Winery Dispute Chateau Miraval
2
Courthouse News Service. Brad Pitt Miraval Amended Complaint
3
People. Angelina Jolie Sells Her Stake in Wine Label She Shared With Brad Pitt
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Wine Spectator. Angelina Jolie Sells Her Stake in Chateau Miraval
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Los Angeles Times. Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie Winery Lawsuit Abuse Allegations
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People. Brad Pitt Scores Legal Win Angelina Jolie Winery Testify
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People. Brad Pitt Email Angelina Jolie Alleging Suing Her $35 Million Winery Sale
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New York Times. Angelina Jolie Brad Pitt Lawsuit
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CNN. Angelina Jolie Brad Pitt Abuse History
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Los Angeles Times. Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie FBI Documents 2016 Private Plane Incident
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Yahoo Entertainment. Angelina Jolie Brad Pitt Bitter Winery Battle
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Wine Spectator. Campari Caught in Miraval Fight
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People. Angelina Jolie Wins Legal Bid to Block Release of Her Private Messages in Brad Pitt Winery Battle
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Page Six. Brad Pitt Scores Big Win in Legal Battle With Ex Angelina Jolie Over Chateau Miraval
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The Spirits Business. Stoli USA Put Under Trustee Control
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TMZ. Brad Pitt Attempting to Gain Intel for Angelina Jolie Battle
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CaseMine. In Re Ex Parte Nouvel, LLC