Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been embroiled in a protracted legal battle over their French vineyard, Château Miraval, which they purchased together in 2008 and managed as equal partners until 2021 when Jolie decided to sell her share. Now, Jolie’s legal team is pushing to end the conflict and withdraw their lawsuit.
The legal skirmish began when Pitt sued Jolie, arguing that her sale of her share violated their prior agreement, which stipulated that he would buy out her shares. In April 2024, Jolie’s lawyers claimed that Pitt refused to buy her shares unless she signed a more comprehensive non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which they argued was a tactic to cover up his alleged abuse of her and their children. Pitt’s legal team has firmly denied these allegations.
In a statement released this week, Jolie’s lawyer accused Pitt of trying to “punish and control Angelina by demanding a newly expanded NDA to cover his personal misconduct and abuse.” They emphasized, “Those actions are central to these proceedings. We are not at all surprised Mr. Pitt is afraid to turn over the documents demonstrating these facts.” The lawyer added that Jolie wishes for Pitt to end the litigation to help their family move toward healing, but if he continues with the lawsuit, she will seek evidence to refute his claims.
Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in September 2016 after two years of marriage. The couple shares six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne.
In a motion filed this April, Jolie’s lawyers requested the court to compel Pitt and his legal team to produce documents explaining why he made the sale of Miraval contingent on Jolie signing an expanded NDA. They claimed, “Pitt suddenly conditioned his purchase of Jolie’s share of Miraval on her agreeing to a greatly expanded NDA now covering Pitt’s personal misconduct, whether related to Miraval or not.”
The motion also alleged that “Pitt’s history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family’s September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles,” and that during this flight, Pitt’s physical abuse extended to their children, prompting Jolie to leave him. The documents describe the conduct as “egregious” and causing “significant and ongoing post-traumatic stress.” Jolie intends to prove her case with testimony, emails, photographs, and other evidence, some of which are currently under Pitt’s control.
In response, Pitt’s team in 2023 claimed it was Jolie and her team who had requested the “broader” NDA, not him. The documents also explained that Jolie did not press charges against Pitt for his alleged behavior because she believed it was better for Pitt to accept responsibility and help the family recover from the trauma he caused.
This ongoing legal battle continues to draw significant public attention, with both sides presenting contrasting narratives about the events and the motivations behind their actions.