The legal war between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie shows no signs of cooling, nearly a decade after their initial split. Even as their multi-year divorce proceedings drag on, the contested ownership of Château Miraval, their French winery, continues to generate fresh courtroom battles on multiple fronts.
Michigan ruling favours Pitt
The most recent development emerged from a Michigan court, where a judge ruled in Pitt’s favour in a dispute tied to Jolie’s 2021 sale of her stake in the winery.
According to The Daily Star, the judge ordered Todd Culyba, former general counsel of the Stoli Group, to submit to a further deposition after he had declined to respond to dozens of questions during an earlier session.
Pitt’s legal team had been seeking information about the sale of Jolie’s share of Château Miraval to Tenute del Mondo, a company linked to the Stoli Group. The judge determined that attorney-client privilege could not be applied as a shield against questions relating to the commercial dimensions of the transaction.
The roots of the dispute
The conflict traces back to 2022, when Pitt filed a lawsuit alleging that Jolie had sold her interest in the winery without his knowledge or consent, in breach of what he claims was a mutual agreement between them. Jolie has consistently denied that any such agreement ever existed. The Michigan ruling follows a separate verdict in California that went Jolie’s way. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge rejected Pitt’s request for access to a set of confidential emails connected to the winery sale, ruling that the documents were protected under attorney-client privilege.
Jolie’s attorney, Paul Murphy, welcomed the California decision, arguing that Pitt had failed to meet the legal threshold required to obtain the communications. The ruling was issued without prejudice, however, meaning Pitt retains the option to revisit the matter under a different legal framework.
More legal trouble and a fractured family name
Beyond the winery litigation, Pitt is also navigating a trademark dispute involving his skincare label Beau Domaine. Malibu-based skincare company Beau D has filed a lawsuit claiming the brand name bears too close a resemblance to its own, potentially misleading consumers.
The company is pursuing financial damages and an injunction to prevent Pitt from continuing to use the Beau Domaine name.
On a personal level, the ongoing legal friction mirrors deep rifts within the family. Several of the former couple’s children have actively moved to distance themselves from the Pitt surname. Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt has reportedly used only “Jolie” informally for years, while siblings Shiloh, Zahara, and Vivienne have taken steps to drop “Pitt” from their public and legal names.
With active litigation spanning multiple states and no resolution in sight over Château Miraval, the post-split legal entanglement between Pitt and Jolie appears set to endure for years to come.
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