Brad Pitt has secured a big win in his legal battle with former wife Angelina Jolie over their French winery, Chateau Miraval. According to newly released court documents, the court has ordered members of the Stoli Group to give testimony about the sale of Jolie’s share of the property.
The former couple has been locked in a legal dispute for years after Jolie sold her part of the winery to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli Group. Pitt has argued that the people involved in the deal have important information that might help explain how the sale took place.
The latest court decision is a positive sign for Pitt because it allows him to question key people connected to the transaction. Their testimony will play an important role as the case moves forward.
According to court documents obtained by People, the Stoli Group is led by billionaire Yuri Shefler. In 2023, Brad Pitt filed a lawsuit demanding compensation over Angelina Jolie’s decision to sell her share of Chateau Miraval to the “Russia-affiliated spirits conglomerate.”
His legal team argued that the company’s reputation had faced criticism and boycotts because of its “connection with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and homophobic legislative Agenda.” Due to this, Jolie’s sale “jeopardises the reputation of the business that Pitt so carefully built.”
Angelina Jolie disagreed with those claims and her legal team argued that describing Shefler as a “Russian exile who is a long-time critic of Vladimir Putin,” was a “xenophobic, untrue smear campaign.”
Following the positive court orders, a source close to Brad Pitt said, “This win is another step towards transparency over what took place. Shefler was a partner [Jolie] chose, knowing it was a partner Brad did not want involved in the business.”
According to another source, Angelina Jolie had previously agreed that Brad Pitt will be given the first chance to buy her share of Chateau Miraval before she sold it to someone else.
The source claims she later went ahead and sold her stake to the Stoli Group. Because of the latest court decision, members of the Stoli Group and Yuri Shefler, might have to answer questions about how the sale was arranged.
A source close to Jolie said that she “did not sell to Stoli for any reason other than she expected Stoli to be an excellent world-wide distribution partner who could help grow the business for the benefit of their children, who stood to inherit Brad’s portion.
The truth is that Pitt’s ego and obsession for control got in the way. Brad refused to work with Stoli simply because Angie chose them, not him.”
At the same time, Angelina Jolie’s lawyer argued that the recent court rulings do not change the main issues in the case or strengthen Pitt’s claims.
