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Brad Pitt isn't backing down in his years-long legal feud with ex-wife Angelina Jolie. In a new court filing dated June 30, the Oscar-winning actor and producer demands access to key communications tied to Jolie's controversial 2021 sale of their once-shared French winery, Château Miraval. The move marks a sharp escalation in their already tense and high-profile legal standoff, which has dragged on since their separation in 2016.
At the heart of the filing is Pitt's request to obtain documents and testimony from Alexey Oliynik, a top executive at the Stoli Group, which bought Angelina Jolie's stake in the vineyard. Pitt argues that Oliynik holds crucial information about her decision to sell her share of the winery to Stoli, a company Pitt says he had openly opposed due to business concerns and alleged personal mistrust.
Oliynik, based in Switzerland, has so far refused to be deposed or hand over documents, citing jurisdictional protections. But Pitt's legal team is pushing hard to compel disclosure, claiming these communications "go directly to key allegations" in the lawsuit and are essential to proving that Jolie acted with "malice" by going behind Pitt's back.
In legal terms, that's a serious claim, and one that could dramatically change the course of the case.
How We Got Here
This battle over Château Miraval is about more than grapes and wine. In 2022, Pitt sued Jolie after she sold her 50% stake in the luxury French vineyard — where the couple famously wed in 2014 — to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli Group. Pitt maintains the two had a mutual understanding that neither would sell without the other's consent.
Jolie hit back with a fiery countersuit, accusing Pitt of trying to "control" her through the winery and weaponizing it as a tool of retaliation after she filed for divorce in 2016. She alleges that Pitt refused to buy her out unless she signed a strict non-disclosure agreement that would prevent her from speaking publicly, particularly about the 2016 private jet incident that contributed to their breakup.
The Jet Incident and the NDA Battle
As reported by People, Jolie has alleged that during that flight, Pitt was verbally and physically abusive. While no charges were filed after an FBI investigation, and she didn't pursue legal action then, the episode continues reverberating through their court proceedings.
In a significant development earlier this year, a judge ruled that Jolie must produce eight years' worth of NDAs she's issued to third parties. This ruling was part of Pitt's effort to show that NDA use was not unusual in Jolie's own business dealings. That ruling appears to have cracked the door open for more personal and possibly explosive documents to surface.
A Fight with No Finish Line in Sight
While the former couple finalized their divorce in December of 2024, the litigation surrounding Château Miraval has proven to be a lingering battleground. They share six children — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox — all of whom have grown up in the shadow of this public feud.
Sources close to Jolie suggest she's hoping for closure. "Sadly, until he drops his lawsuit, this family will not have the peace and healing they so very much desire and deserve," one insider told PEOPLE. But Pitt's camp sees it differently, arguing that Jolie's actions have inflicted "tremendous collateral damage to those in and around the family."
If the court grants Pitt's latest motion, Jolie's private communications with Stoli, including any emails, texts, or other records, could become part of the legal discovery process. That could expose new layers of the story, including Jolie's intent and whether she knowingly violated a business pact.
And if Oliynik is eventually forced to testify, it may finally provide clarity on what went down behind closed doors as Jolie finalized the sale.