The legal battle between former couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt over Château Miraval has taken a new turn. In a significant courtroom win for Angelina, a judge has ruled that she will not be required to hand over private emails tied to the sale of her stake in the French winery, marking a setback for Brad in the long-running dispute.
Angelina Jolie scores a big win
According to PageSix, on Monday, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that Brad, 62, cannot compel Angelina, 50, to hand over a series of private emails related to the sale of her stake in the French winery, siding with Angelina’s claim that the communications are protected, according to court documents.
The judge denied Brad’s motion, ruling that he “has not met his burden” to override her claim that they are protected. The motion was “denied without prejudice,” meaning Brad could raise the issue again later.
This development follows a prior ruling in December 2025, when a judge had directed Angelina to hand over the e-mails. That decision was later found to be flawed, prompting a higher court to send the matter back for reconsideration.
Paul Murphy, counsel for Angelina in this matter, reacted to the judgment through a statement, stating, “This is an important victory for Ms Jolie. The decision shows that Mr Pitt was completely out of bounds when he sought access to obviously privileged documents.”
“Remember, he initially demanded 126 privileged documents, but then backtracked to 22, and now Mr Pitt is getting nothing, zero. This is part of Mr Pitt’s pattern of demanding control over anything Angelina, including control over her communications with her own attorneys. We are extremely gratified that both the Court of Appeal and the trial court ultimately put a stop to it,” the statement added.
The ruling marks the latest twist in Brad’s long-running push to access certain communications tied to Angelina’s 2021 sale, including messages with her business team that he has argued are not protected by attorney-client privilege.
On October 29, 2025, Brad’s legal team submitted into evidence communications to and from Angelina’s team regarding her 2021 sale of her stake in the French winery.
One exhibit was a November 2023 email in which Angelina’s lawyers responded to Brad’s lawsuit, allegedly seeking millions in damages. Angelina, however, maintained they were part of a legal strategy and therefore privileged.
What we know about the feud
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie first met and fell in love on the set of their 2005 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith. They married in 2014 at their French estate, Château Miraval. However, their marriage ultimately ended in divorce.
The former couple was married for only two years, despite having shared ten years of their lives together. In 2016, the Maleficent star filed for divorce. The Oscar-winning actors finalised their divorce in December 2024.
While they may have put their divorce behind them, the legal battle is far from settled. The two remain locked in a high-stakes dispute over the French winery Château Miraval.
Brad had first filed a lawsuit in 2022, claiming that his ex-wife sold her share of the winery despite a prior agreement that neither would sell unless the other approved. They have remained locked in a legal battle ever since.
