Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's legal battle over French winery sees latest development as actor demands access to ex-wife's private messages

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Brad Pitt demands to see Angelina Jolie's private texts (Image via Getty)

On June 30, Brad Pitt filed court documents, obtained by PEOPLE, demanding access to ex-wife Angelina Jolie's private messages, amidst their ongoing legal battle over their French winery, Chateau Miraval.

Jolie and Pitt purchased the French vineyard while they were still married, and in 2022, Pitt filed a lawsuit claiming that Jolie illegally and "vindictively" sold her stake in Miraval to the Stoli Group without his consent. In his recent court filing, Pitt seeks to depose Alexey Oliynik from Stoli Group. According to Pitt's claims, Oliynik had first-hand knowledge of Jolie's 2021 sale.

Brad Pitt also wants Oliynik to turn over messages with Jolie and/or her team. Oliynik has refused to meet his demands, and since he's a resident of Switzerland, he could not be forced to appear in court or turn over evidence, as the case was filed in California.


More about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's French winery legal battle

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt separated in 2016, and a court finalized their divorce in May 2024. Before the two separated, they purchased a French Vineyard in 2011 for around $60 million. Despite their split in 2016, the pair continued to co-own the vineyard.

When Jolie sold her stake in the winery to the Stoli Group in 2021, Pitt filed a lawsuit claiming that the sale was made without his approval, as required by their agreement.

According to The U.S. Sun, with his recent June 30 filing, Pitt has asked the court to compel Nouvel LLC to sit for their deposition about their initial investment in the winery. Pitt also demanded the same of another party, Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli Group, to whom Jolie sold her stake.

Additionally, earlier, Pitt had also accused his ex-wife of selling her stake in the winery to another group, although they were in negotiations with each other over the same stake. Pitt claimed that Jolie denied him the chance to match his offer for her stake in Miraval and sold it to Stoli Group instead.

According to PEOPLE, however, Jolie's legal team in court mentioned that Pitt refused to buy her stake until she signed a non-disclosure agreement, which was "designed to force her silence about his abuse and cover-up" about a private jet flight in 2016. Brad Pitt was allegedly verbally and physically abusive towards his family on the flight.

Brad's lawyer, denied the reasons, and suggested Jolie had the Nouvel Group had "covertly" struck a deal with Stoli Group. The case is ongoing, and dates for a court ruling are yet to be announced.

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Edited by IRMA