Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie battle over French vineyard
Legal experts May Mailman and Bryan Rotella weigh in on the 'Brangelina' feud over the sale of French vineyard stakes involving a Russian oligarch on 'Fox News @ Night.'
The legal battle between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt over their French winery, Château Miraval, continues to heat up.
On Thursday, the Oscar-winning actress' legal team filed a motion seeking "highly relevant" documents and "evidence" that they claim will prove the "Once Upon A Time … in Hollywood" star refused to purchase Jolie's share of the winery unless she agreed to sign an "expansive" NDA that would "hide his history of abuse, control, and coverup."
"While Pitt's history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family’s September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles, this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well. Jolie then immediately left him," Jolie's attorneys claim in court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. "Jolie never pressed charges as she believed the best course was for Pitt to accept responsibility and help the family recover from the post-traumatic stress he caused."
In response, Pitt's attorneys filed a motion on Friday asking Jolie to disclose any other NDAs she entered into with third parties, including her own personal staff.
Jolie's legal team filed a motion seeking "highly relevant" documents regarding the legal battle over her and Pitt's French winery. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
"If Jolie conditioned her continued employment of an individual on that individual’s agreement to an NDA covering what they witnessed in her home - including her treatment of her children and Pitt - that would be highly probative of whether she truly believed the provision requested by Pitt was an ‘unconscionable gag order,'" Pitt's attorneys said in the legal documents obtained by Fox News Digital. "The same is true with respect to any NDA between Jolie and any third party with whom she is in a relationship or who has assisted with the care of the couple’s children."
"To the extent that Jolie requested this third party’s silence about her family or home life, particularly in a circumstance where there was no business justification, it would speak volumes about whether Jolie actually viewed Pitt’s requested NDA, which was linked to the Miraval business, as the deal-ender she subsequently alleged it to be," the filing stated.
"Jolie adamantly refuses to produce the many other NDAs that she signed or requested from others during the relevant time period, along with related documents, presumably because she knows they will severely undermine her defenses."
The former couple bought a controlling stake in Château Miraval in 2008. (Marilla Sicilia/Archivio Marilla Sicilia/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images | David M. Benett/Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/WireImage)
However, Jolie's attorney, Paul Murphy, told Fox News Digital that the NDAs are indeed different. "For Pitt to equate common NDAs covering confidential information employees learn at work, with him attempting to cover up his history of abuse is, frankly, shameful. All she wanted was separation and health. She deserves peace after all these years," his statement read.
While a rep for Pitt did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for a comment about Jolie's latest motion, a friend close to the actor said the recent suit follows a "pattern of behavior" from Jolie's side.
"Whenever there is a decision that goes against the other side, they consistently choose to introduce misleading, inaccurate and/or irrelevant information as a distraction" the friend stated. "There was a lengthy custody trial that involved the entire history of their relationship and a judge who heard all the evidence still granted him 50/50 custody."
The recent filing from Jolie also states that "Jolie’s sealed filing, which included emails, summaries of the family’s expected testimony and other evidence, caused Pitt to fear that the information could eventually become public."
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt got married in 2014. (Getty Images)
Murphy, told Fox News Digital that Pitt "refused to purchase" Jolie's share after she rejected his efforts to be "silenced by his NDA."
"By refusing to buy her interest but then suing her, Mr. Pitt put directly at issue why that NDA was so important to him and what he hoped it would bury: his abuse of Ms. Jolie and their family. After eight months of delays, this motion asks the Court to force Mr. Pitt to finally produce that evidence," said Murphy.
A hearing on disclosure will take place on May 16. A full trial is not expected this year.
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Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt in 2016. (Getty Images)
Pitt and Jolie were married two years before the actress filed for divorce in 2016, effectively ending their 12-year relationship. They became legally single in 2019.
The former couple bought a controlling stake in Château Miraval in 2008 and spent time at the home throughout their relationship.
In 2021, Jolie attempted to sell her company, Nouvel, to Tenute Del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli group, in 2021, effectively transferring her 50% ownership interest in Miraval.
In 2022, Pitt fired back claiming the move breached a contract between the two.
BRAD PITT AND ANGELINA JOLIE FIGHT OVER $164M FRENCH ESTATE
"Jolie pursued and then consummated the purported sale in secret, purposely keeping Pitt in the dark, and knowingly violating Pitt's contractual rights," according to court documents previously obtained by Fox News Digital.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie spent time at the French winery throughout the duration of their relationship. (Getty Images)
That same year, Pitt filed a suit against Jolie for breach of an implied-in-fact contract; breach of quasi-contract, pleaded in the alternative; breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; abuse of rights under Article 6-1 of the Luxembourg Civil Code; tortious interference with contractual relations; tortious interference with prospective business relations; and constructive trust.
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The actor is seeking damages "in an amount to be proven at trial" and has requested Jolie's sale be declared "null and void."
Jolie's company, Nouvel, claimed Pitt has been the mastermind of a "vindictive campaign" to "loot" the profitable business since she first filed for divorce in 2016. The actress previously attempted to overturn a tentative ruling which allowed Pitt’s claims that she sold her stake in Château Miraval without his agreement to proceed to trial. She argued her ex-husband's claim was "frivolous, malicious, and part of a problematic pattern."
However, court minutes from March 8 seen by Fox News Digital, show that the court rejected those arguments and upheld its earlier ruling.
Pitt's legal team has been given the go-ahead to sue Jolie for breach of implied-in-fact contract and breach of quasi-contract. The "Babylon" actor will also be allowed to amend his claim of breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
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